Demons, Horcruxes, And Harry
by Paxloria
Summary: Ciel's been a demon for 118 years, but he knew nothing about the Wizarding World untill the dragon and its 3 passengers drop in... Maybe now would be a good time for some new oppertunities. The story is set in DEATHLY HALLOWS after Harry, Ron, & Hermione escape from the bank.
1. Ch 1 Intro: It's A Dragon

**Disclaimer: I don't own KUROSJITSUJI or HARRY POTTER**

**Summary: The story is set in 2007 during the events of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS (not sure if that's the right year but since that's when the book came out that's what I'm using); right after Harry, Ron, and Hermione escape the bank by riding a dragon. Ciel has been a demon for about 118 years. In the anime he became a demon in 1889 when he was 13 years old. **

**I'm going to try my best to stay true to the characters and events, but my first responsibility is to my story and the people that will one day read it. For that reason I may end up taking some liberties and making things a little more OC than would otherwise be the case. So, if you run across something that seems a little bit too OC or OE, don't complain. I warned you. No one's forcing you to read this. However, If you spot errors of spelling, missing words, thing that could be added in or taken out, and such that would improve the story, I'd like to hear it. If you like it I'd like to hear that too. Please review.**

**Just a reminder incase it later comes up. Sebastian usually calls Ciel: My Lord, bocchan, or Young Master.**

**Bocchan**** means Young Master in Japanese. I'm not sure if that's spelled right, but I'd like you all (for the sake of argument) to pretend that it is.**

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**Demons, Horcruxes, And Harry**

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**Chapter 1**

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(**Ciel's Point Of View:**)

Thinking about the past was not something that Ciel Phantomhive liked to do. In fact he spent more time then he would ever willingly admit to to _NOT_ thinking about the past, every single day. Some days were more successful than others. Unfortunately this wasn't one of those days.

The problem was that his past was what shaped him into his current self. Every day of his existence he was reminded of that, and of what he lost.

His family.

His childhood.

His home.

His humanity.

It was nicely ironic that the one person who gave him any sense of peace was a demon he would have willingly given his life and soul to. A demon he knew wished, in silence, for his death. But that was impossible now.

Ciel still looked like a short 13 year old boy with dark navy blue-gray hair, fair porcelain skin, his left eye usually hidden by a black eye-patch to cover the mark of his demonic contract (a purple pentagram inside a jagged circle), while the other eye was a bright sapphire blue. However he was no longer human. He was a demon. He'd been a demon for about 118 years.

Since he was forced to live forever he'd had no choice but to get used to his new life as a demon, and found that he quite liked it a lot. He was faster, stronger, more graceful, and more powerful than he could have ever hoped to be as a human. It was great to never again have to worry about being a weak and helpless child at the non-existent mercy of enemies. The only ones stronger then himself were other supernatural's (demons, angels, Shinnigami's), and if he ever had trouble with them his butler and constant companion, Sebastian, would protect him.

Which brought him right back to his earlier thoughts.

After everything they'd been through together, he owed the elder demon a debt that he could never repay. It wasn't even his fault.

His honor and pride had pushed him to do his best to fulfill his obligation to the contract. The moment Ciel achieved his revenge Sebastian was to eat his soul. He'd even ordered Sebastian to do it, and to serve him as his butler until he'd eaten every last piece of his soul. He'd never expected to get turned into a demon, thus trapping Sebastian at his side forever as his butler.

He could just imagine the mocking look in Sebastian's red eyes, the annoying smirk that would curl those thin lips of his up, if Ciel ever tried to apologize. What happened back then wasn't his fault, so he shouldn't have to. Besides, his pride would never let him.

Ciel absolutely _HATED_ admitting, even to himself, just how much the tall black clad, black haired demon butler meant to him. It was _sickening_ how much he looked forward to seeing that pale face and hearing that smooth velvet voice. How alone he felt when Sebastian wasn't around.

Ciel would never tell him how much he cared. The irritating fiend would never let him hear the end of it if he did. But Ciel couldn't stop himself from thinking about it. It was why, every once in a while, he would try to think of something "nice" he could do for his butler. Some small way to thank him for all he had done, and to make up for not being able to give the demon his soul or returning his freedom.

It was why he'd allowed Sebastian to have 3 pet cats.

Ciel wasn't allergic to cats anymore, now that he was a demon. But he still hated the selfish little creatures. Not that he was _jealous _of the attention Sebastian so willingly fawned upon them. No, it wasn't that. _Not at all_. It really wasn't.

Ciel just happened to like dogs better. _Really_. Any other reason would be stupid and childish. Ciel was not a child. For Hell's sake he was 131 years old!

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At the moment Ciel was lost in thought while sitting at his desk in the study of his secluded 2 story lake-house. He had a stack of papers to go through for the Funtom Company that needed his personal attention.

Being a demon didn't stop paperwork from being necessary, or boring.

Sebastian came in with the tea trolley. He elegantly poured some tea into a delicate little tea cup and set it on the desk. Ciel picked up the cup and inhaled the lovely fragrance.

"An Earl Gray-Jasmine blend, correct." he stated.

"Yes, My Lord," was the reply.

This was one of their comfortable, pointless, yet habitual routines. As a demon, Ciel could only enjoy the fragrance of food or drink. All human food tasted like ash to him now, and all beverages might as well be air.

However, Afternoon tea was an old habit from his human life and he could still enjoy the delicious sent.

Ciel gazed contemplatively at Sebastian, recalling how bored he was and his earlier thoughts. Perhaps now would be a good time for both of them to take a little brake from their work. He set down the cup and said, in his usual commanding tone:

"Sebastian, we're going for a walk."

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"…My Lord?"

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He always enjoyed startling Sebastian. Finding ways to break that calm, sometimes smilingly, blank expression the butler always wore was one of his favorite games. He doubted he would ever tire of it.

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"Young Master, these are important papers for your company. It would not do to slack off." Sebastian said. "Besides, there is still much for me to do and I do not wish to through off my schedule."

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Unfortunately it never lasted long. Damn him! He always regains his composure so quickly. If I'd blinked I would have missed it. He wears that expression like a mask.

Of course I let none of my irritation show. As a Noble and a Phantomhive I learned a long time ago how to make my face like a mask as well, only showing what I wanted others to see. Right now I was wearing my haughty arrogant expression. It's always been my favorite and most comfortable look, or as they say in these modern times, my 'default' look.

"Sebastian, I'm sure the papers can wait a while longer. I'm even more certain that the house will not collapse into ruble if you take a break away from it for an afternoon."

I gave him a mischievous smirk.

"Unless of course you have utterly _failed_ as my butler…?"

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"Of course not, My Lord."

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"Then I see no problems." _Heh, he can't argue now_. "Come, let us walk along the lake and forget our responsibilities for a while."

"Very well, Young Master, I'll get your coat."

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It was cool, but not cold outside. Other than a slight breeze, the day was still. Not wanting to get any mud on their shoes, the two demons kept their distance from the lake-shore as they walked. Ciel walked quietly with Sebastian only a step behind, enjoying the peace and solitude. He breathed in the fresh clean air and relished the gentle sounds of the lake kissing the shore.

He felt his earlier irritation fade, and a covert glance showed that even Sebastian seemed to have relaxed a little. He almost felt like smiling.

Far off, he saw a bird in flight and idly asked Sebastian what type it was.

The older demon looked in the indicated direction and stiffened in momentary surprise.

"My Lord, that is not a bird."

"Don't be silly. It's certainly not a plane."

"No, My Lord, It is not a bird or a plane." He replied, never taking his eyes from the unexpected sight.

"Then what is it?"

"A dragon."

"!"

The butler continued speaking, ignoring his Master's look of stunned disbelief.

"It is most unusual to see one now-a-days as they are not at all common. Also, there are no indigenous dragons living in the area."

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"…And you're sure that _that_ is a dragon?"

"Positive, My Lord."

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The two had stopped walking and were now simply watching the approaching creature.

Ciel was really excited. He'd always believed that dragons were imaginary beasts like unicorns and griffins. When he was little his mother would read him stories of fantastical adventures, full of magic, knights, wizards, and wondrous animals. Even though he had known that such things didn't exist, Ciel had always wished that they had. Well, he was certainly looking at one now.

Ciel grinned. He was actually looking at a real dragon. The dragon's size was becoming more apparent as it flew closer. _My GOD! It's as big as a house!_ His next thought was _I'm so glad I got out of the house today. I would have missed this if I hadn't_. Then he frowned as something else occurred to him.

"Sebastian, should we worry about the safety of our house?"

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The butler smiled his sparkly trust-me-I'm-wonderful-and-capable smile.

"There is no need for concern, bocchan. It is probably just thirsty, however if it does decide to make a nuisance of itself I shall make it leave."

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The dragon began to circle the lake, descending lower and lower with each pass. The two demons could see 3 people were clinging onto its back. On the fourth pass the passengers jumped from the dragon and into the water below. By the fifth pass, the dragon's former passengers had managed to surface and begun heading to the nearest shore; mean while, the dragon came to a clumsy landing on the opposite lakeside and greedily drank its fill of water before once more taking to the sky and disappearing.

The demons moved in unobtrusively closer to where the dragon riders (2 boys and 1 girl in their mid-to-late teens) had finally scrambled on to land, panting in exhaustion.

They watched, un-noticed, as the 3 pulled out elegant sticks, chanted a few brief words, and were suddenly dry.

Ciel whispered quietly, "Sebastian, what are they?"

"Bocchan, they are wizards"

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**I'm usually pretty slow at writing, but I hope to update with a new chapter soon. Also, this is a bit different from what I would normally write so I'm not sure how well it's going to turn out. **

**Please review.**

_**To my Reviewers: Thank you for letting me know. I was able to fix those type-o's because of you. (^-^)**_

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	2. Chapter 2 Such Things

**Disclaimer: I don't own KUROSHITSUJI or HARRY POTTER, but I really wish I did. They're great after all.**

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**Chapter 2**

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"Wizard's?"

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"Yes, Young Master," the butler murmured quietly, "Magic using humans. They tend to live separately and secretly from muggles (their word for human's without magic). They call their world The Wizarding World and have their own laws and government."

The demon smiled and glanced way from the trio of young wizards to watch his master's expression as he gave the second part of his explanation.

"Young Master, it is not so different from what you experienced as The Queen's Watch Dog. You knew of England's Underground Society, its dark underbelly. You were the ruler of this Underworld and you worked to keep its evil doings in check and separate from the Surface World, the Daylight World of normal society, despite the two's existing side-by-side and occasionally overlapping. The wizards also live in much the same way. The magical living in secret, away from the non-magical."

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Ciel supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised by this, after all he had just seen three people riding a dragon and casting spells with magic wands. But this was the first time he had ever seen or heard of such things outside of old childish dreams. Two things then occurred to him:

1). If demons, angels, and shinnigami were real then other things might be real as well.

2). Sebastian had never taught or even hinted about any of this.

Well, now that he did know, that was going to change. He could not allow such an obviously huge gap in his knowledge to remain unfilled. He turned his attention back on to the trio of young wizards.

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The three teenaged wizards were sitting on the grassy shore just a few feet away from the water. They were too exhausted to do anything more then sit and cast a few drying spells on themselves. Their desperate escape from Gringotts with the Hufflepuff cup horcrux had been terrifying.

Escaping on the back of a blind dragon, hoping it wouldn't start feeling hungry, or notice its passengers, or crash into anything was bad enough. When you add in flying to parts unknown, buffeted by the cold wind, sore from the hours spent riding on the dragon's back, then the high jump into a cold lake followed by a seemingly endless swim to reach dry land, and it was perfectly understandable that the overall mood was not a happy one.

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"Blimy, I'm glad that's done," said the pale skinny boy with freckles and bright reddish-orange hair. "I'm never doing that again."

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"It worked didn't," replied the slender fair skinned girl with brownish-ginger hair. "Besides, Ron, I didn't hear you coming up with any better ideas."

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"Hermione, Ron, just stop it."

The speaker was the remaining boy. He was pale, dark haired, had bright green eyes, glasses, and a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead.

"I know your cold and sore, I am too, but we can't waste time arguing right now. We've got to figure out our next move."

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It was the girl, Hermione, who answered.

"Harry, do you still have the cup?"

She and Ron waited while the boy with glasses, Harry, began frantically searching his pockets.

"Yeah, it's right here."

Once he pulled it out and set it down in front of them, she continued speaking.

"Then we need to figure out how to destroy it."

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Ron looked more than a little irritated when he said, "But we don't have the sword of Gryffindor anymore. That conniving goblin Griphook took it."

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"Well, we did promise it to him if he helped us," put in Hermione.

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It was Harry that summed up the main point.

"It doesn't matter now. You-Know-Who is going to find out what we've done. We've got to figure out how to destroy the cup and get the other horcruxes before he realizes what we're up to and moves them."

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Suddenly there was a blur and the golden cup of Helga Hufflepuff vanished. The three wizards scrambled for their wands as they quickly stood up. Unfortunately, their wands had also disappeared.

"Perhaps you might like to discuss making a deal with me," a cold authoritive voice said behind them.

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Demon hearing was quite keen. So even though Ciel and Sebastian were standing over 10 feet away under some trees, they could hear everything the three teenage wizards were saying.

Ciel didn't know what the wizards were up to, but it was clear that whatever it was they were desperate. The way they talked and acted made that clear. It was also clear that they had gone to a lot of trouble to get that little golden cup, and that they wanted to destroy it. Perhaps there was a way to take advantage of their situation.

Also, there was something about that cup. Something… enticing. He wanted a closer look.

"Sebastian, this is an order. As fast as you can, take their wands and bring me that gold cup."

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"Yes, My Lord," Sebastian said, placing his left hand over his heart and bowing.

He disappeared in a motion faster than the human eye could follow, picked the young wizards pockets, took their wands, grabbed the cup, returned to his master's side, and handed him the cup. It took less than a second.

Ciel moved quick as a blink until he stood about 3 feet away from the startled wizards.

"Perhaps you might like to discuss making a deal with me."

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**Sorry its so short. Hope you liked it anyway.**

**Please Review. '\(^-^)/'**

**:0)**

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	3. Ch 3 Do We Have A Choice?

**Disclaimer: I don't own or have any rights to KUROSHITSUJI or to HARRY POTTER.**

**My computer says things I don't agree with. Any of you have that trouble? Oh well, I'm bad at spelling so the computers probably right. Still, there **_**are**_** times when we're both wrong. I'm depending on you, my wonderful readers, to let me know if an error slipped past us. **

**Side Note: I know that the England & America use different measures, but **_**I'M**_** the author and I can use anything I like. So I'm using kilometers (I know I should use miles, but in my head {_even if its wrong_} kilometers are much bigger then miles and if thats not the case then the names should be swtched****). I know that this is a ridiculously small thing to rant about but, what the hay, I feel like it and **_**I'M**_** the author. Then again I could be wrong. I've always been bad with numbers and that includes methods of mesure.**

**Thanks. **

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**C****H****A****P****T****E****R**** 3**

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**(Harry's Point Of View)**

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The three wizards whirled around to face the speaker.

It was a young boy (perhaps a few years younger than themselves) dressed in old fashioned clothes that were elegant and looked expensive. Besides his eye-patch and odd bluish-gray hair, the most distinctive thing about him the gold cup in his hands.

Behind him, seeming to appear from nowhere, a tall forbidding man dressed in black stepped forward. His smooth black hair (nearly to his chin in the front, but cut short at the back and sides) framed his blood red eyes and pale face perfectly. The only other color on him was his white gloved hands, one of which was holding their wands.

He had a bright friendly smile.

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"Who are you?" Demanded Harry.

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The boy with the eye-patch gave him a haughty look.

"This lake and all the land around it for about 1 kilometer are mine. That means you three are trespassing on private property. As trespasser's, it is you who should be the first to introduce yourselves."

The voice was arrogant and commanding.

After everything Harry had been through in the last few (who-knew-how-many) hours, he was feeling really irritated. Just thinking about all the things he _still_ had left to do only added to his stress.

However, though Harry was in no mood to put up with whoever this kid was, the fact remained that the boy and man had the cup and their wands. There was obviously nothing normal about how quickly those items had been taken. So Harry shared a few brief glances with Ron and Hermione, took a deep breath to clear his head, and replied.

"You're not a muggle, but before I tell you I want to know whose side you're on."

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The blue haired boy looked at him expressionlessly and said, "Side? I'm on no one's side save my own. Now you will answer me." It was not a request.

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It was then that the tall man in black spoke.

"Bocchan, the wizards are currently in the midst of a civil war. Unless I am much mistaken, this boy is Harry Potter. The lightning shaped scar on his forehead marks his identity most distinctly."

The man's voice was smooth, like silk or velvet. But it was also dark. Harry likened it to bitter chocolate, a dessert he'd always thought of as cruel because it looked like it should be sweet but never was.

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"Harry Potter is an enemy of those who call themselves Dark Wizards,"

The man continued. He'd never stopped his smiling. The way he still kept up that bright fake smile of his was almost creepy.

"He is also a rallying point for the so called Light Wizards. They call him The-Boy-Who-Lived. Young Master, you and he actually have a lot in common. Like you, his family was targeted and killed with himself the only survivor. I also understand that since then, there have been numerous attempts on his life. I am, however, unfamiliar with the identities of his companions."

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**(Ciel's Point Of View)**

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Ciel shot a heated glare at his butler.

_Why was Sebastian acting like this_? _It wasn't like him_.

Ciel hated his own ignorance and Sebastian's words made it all too clear to the wizards just how little he knew about the Wizarding World. It was humiliating. As a butler, Sebastian was not supposed to intentionally let his master look ignorant, especially in front of others.

"Sebastian, what are you doing?"

"My Lord, as you know I am just one _hell_ of a butler. Also, if our guests understand how uninvolved you are in their current affairs, they might feel more comfortable talking to you."

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Ciel shared a speaking side-long glance with the butler. Their long association allowing the two to wordlessly understand each other's meaning perfectly. The older demon must support and never betray his master. But if he saw a way to do that, and have a private laugh at Ciel's expense, he would. The mocking glint in the hellish butler's eye when he spoke his favorite catch-phrase said it all.

Grinding his teeth in silent anger, Ciel thought about what else the demon had said. _So_, _they have been promoted from trespassers to guests_, _Sebastian knows me too well. His words were also nicely misleading without being lies. These wizards don't look like they're used to playing games with words. It should be simple to make them see me in a more favorable way if they believe we might have some common cause. In any case, this new game should provide plenty of opportunity for entertainment as well as information_.

He looked down at the gold cup in his hands. The absolute, most delicious fragrance was coming from it. It made his mouth water. As a demon the only thing that should be able to affect him like this was a soul_. Just what is with this cup_?

He looked back up as the wizard Sebastian had identified as Harry Potter, started to talk.

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**(Harry's Point Of View)**

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"That's Ronald Weasley and she's Hermione Granger, and yes, I'm Harry Potter," Harry said.

He had decided that there was no harm in introducing his friends since they knew who he was and, despite taking their wands and the Hufflepuff cup, hadn't tried to attack them. Then there was that business the man had mentioned about the blue haired boy and he having something in common.

Had Voldmort or his followers come after this boy's family to? Was that the reason he didn't know much about the Wizarding World and acted the way he did, because he'd stayed away from it? There had certainly been times lately when Harry had wished he could do the same.

Unfortunately that wasn't an option, at least not for Harry Potter.

They needed to get their wands and the horcrux back and he'd rather not get in a fight right now if he didn't have to. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to hear what the boy had to say. He had mentioned something about "discussing a deal."

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The black clothed man gave a slight bow.

"It is an honor to make your acquaintances," he said in a formal manner. "I am Sebastian Michaelis, butler to the Phantomhive family. This is my Young Master, the Earl of Phantomhive, Ciel Phantomhive. He is the last living member of the Phantomhive family and inherited his title upon his parents' deaths."

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Hermione's thoughts seem to be going in the same direction as Harry's when she suspiciously asked, "You asked about a deal. What is it you want and will you give us back our wands and the cup?"

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"That depends on you," Ciel replied. "As you have no doubt realized, my knowledge about the Wizarding World is not what it should be. I'd like you to assist me with this, starting from the most important recent events. I would also like to know just how it is that you 3 arrived here, on a dragon of all things. I can't imagine that that was a normal form of transportation."

He put on a faint smile when he said this last part, then glanced down at the cup.

"I would also like to know about this gold cup."

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The 3 wizards again exchanged glances, but this time the first to speak was Ron.

"Hay, how do we know we can trust you? You two look pretty dark to me. For all we know you could be working for You-Know-Who."

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Ciel shook his head. His face was still expressionless, but his eyes held a hint of irritation.

"I have no idea who this 'You-Know-Who' person is. Just tell me his name. As for the matter of trust, you don't have any choice in the matter and I will give you no guaranties unless we come to some sort of agreement."

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It was Hermione that next spoke.

"You're not a muggle, but you're not a wizard either are you? So what are you, and if we _do_ agree to make a deal with you what would we get out of it?"

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The young Earl looked at her.

"What I am doesn't matter. What _does_ matter is that I am in a position to be either a great help or a great hindrance," and now he did smile. "I overheard your conversation. This little gold cup has some special quality to it and for some reason you 3 went to a lot of trouble to get it so you can destroy it. However it seems that you lack the means to do so."

Now he gave a dark little laugh. "It also seems that the rightful owner has more of these things and plans on coming after you as soon as they have been re-secured. In other words, time is not on your side. You want to know what I can do for you?"

Ceil gave them a devilish grin and his one visible eye flashed red for a brief moment.

"I can destroy this cup… _if_ you give me a good enough reason to do so. Of course if we can't come to some sort of understanding I might start to think that this is all some sort of clever trick and I am your true target. Then, of course, I would destroy you."

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**(Ciel's Point Of View)**

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Ciel waited for their response. He doubted that they had anything to do with him, but casting suspicion back at them was a good strategy. A good defense is a better offence after all and throwing in a little threat will ensure that the answers are worth listening to.

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The stupid looking one, Ronald or Ron as his friends called him, was the first to reply.

"Oy, maybe you're the one that's not seeing the situation. Even without our wands there's three of us and only two of you. Why couldn't we just grab our wands and the cup and run for it?"

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Sebastian was the one that answered. His smile seemed to become both brighter and somehow more intimidating. His voice was still polite, but it now had a distinctly mocking undertone.

"Perhaps I can provide some reasons as to why such actions should be avoided. We are faster than you, stronger than you, immune to human magic's, and we posses dangerous powers."

Turning to his master, the demon asked, "What do you think, My Lord? Would not a demonstration put to rest any doubts they may have in regards to our abilities?"

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Ciel thought about it for half a second. There was no reason not to and it might help to speed things up. He glanced around and chose a suitable target.

"Very well."

He raised his hand and pointed to a distant bolder. The wizards also looked at it.

"Sebastian, this is an order, destroy that big rock."

The butler bowed saying, "Yes, My Lord."

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Suddenly 50 or more silver butter knives seemed to appear, porcupining the rock, an instant later it crumbled into rubble.

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Ciel smirked. "Sebastian is a very capable butler. However I too am not without talents. Do see that dead tree over there?" He asked, point to a large pale tree several feet from where the bolder had been.

The wizards looked.

Ciel knew he was showing off, but really, there was no reason not to and he enjoyed seeing the shocked looks on the teenagers' faces.

"Observe."

His visible eye again flashed briefly red as he accessed a miniscule amount of his demonic power and focused it on the tree.

It exploded into millions of tiny splinters.

Ciel chuckled evilly, even as he felt his mood lighten at the expressions of shock and fear painting the young wizards faces. He could see it in their eyes, they understood his true meaning perfectly now.

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**(Wizard's Point Of View)**

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Harry, Ron, and Hermione gulp in fear. They got the young Nobles message loud and clear. No one had to say anything.

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STAND AGAINST ME, ANGER ME, AND THIS COULD BE YOU

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Even if they had their wands they wouldn't be able to use them fast enough; plus, if what that deadly butler said was true then their magic wouldn't work on those two anyway.

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"So, how about it? Would you like to discuss making a deal with me?"

The blue-haired boy was smiling in a friendly way, closely watching them.

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In Harry's mind the little Earl now became much more terrifying than he had been when Harry had first laid eyes on him.

"Do we have a choice?"

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Ciel Laughed.

"None at all. But I see no reason why we shouldn't get along. Come, let us go somewhere more comfortable to talk. You _will_ be my guests and I will offer you the best Phantomhive hospitality. I'm sure that you're tired and would like a hot bath, a change of clothes, and something to eat. We can talk business while you have some lunch."

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Ciel's suddenly friendly manor after all that cold arrogance and the silent threats was really unnerving. Harry tried one more time to talk their way out of this.

"It's very nice of you to offer, but we're in a hurry and I don't think we have the time to…"

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But Ciel cut him off, "Then I guess you'll just have to make the time wont you."

Smiling, Ciel lead the way back to his home. With no other choice available, the wizards followed him, the butler bringing up the rear.

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They didn't talk and neither Harry, Ron, nor Hermione had forgotten just how capable the man behind them was with his knives.

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**Wierd, for some reason I'm having trouble getting this new chapter to show up after posting it.**

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**7/20/2012**

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	4. Ch 4 Prepare The Games

**Disclaimer: I don't own or have rights to KUROSHITSUJI or HARRY POTTER, like the rest of you reading this, I really wish I did.**

**Alright readers, you know it, I know it, & the demons know it. Now Hermione will know it to. No normal person can resist Sebastian.**

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**C****h****a****p****t****e****r ****4**

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(**Hermione's P.O.V**)

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The place they were escorted to could only barely be called a house. No matter how Hermione looked at it words like 'mansion' and 'castle' came to mind. The inside proved to be just as impressive as the outside. For a moment she forgot her current situation as a strong desire to explore this place and more closely examine the various antiques, swept over her.

The décor was masculine and very 19th century. Were it not for the electric fixtures, she might almost have felt like she'd stepped back in time 100 years. _Well_, she thought, _this is the home of an Earl after all_.

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It was the voice of said earl that snapped her out of her daze.

"Sebastian will be serving a light lunch soon," the boy said, "In the mean time he will show you to the guest rooms. I advise you to shower quickly. A change of clothes will also be provided."

He glanced to the butler. "Sebastian, that's an order."

Sebastian bowed. "Yes, My Lord."

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* * *

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Sebastian led them through a maze of hallways to the guest rooms. Hermione was sure though that she could find her way back, after all she was a top Hogwarts student and that place was both bigger and had moving staircases. If they needed to escape from this mansion, she'd probably have to be the one to lead the way. Harry might be able to manage, but she was certain that by now Ron was completely lost.

Sebastian came so a stop so suddenly that she nearly ran into him. He indicated three rooms on the right side of the hallway.

"Please wash up here, I will return shortly with a change of clothes for you all and guide you back down. If you finish early I would advise against exploring. Visitor's often get lost their first time here, and while it is often entertaining to hunt them down, I am sure that you three would find such activities far too troublesome to be worth the effort."

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He bowed to them politely and started to turn away when Hermione stopped him.

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"Excuse me, but can you tell me just what is going on? You and that boy have made it clear that you're neither an enemy nor an ally, yet you forced us to come here and cooperate with you. Just what do you expect from us?"

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The butler listened to her words respectfully. That creepy smile of his had disappeared sometime after they entered the Earls mansion, and she was glad to see it gone. But the courteous and politely respectful attitude and facial expression he now wore, while somewhat more comforting, gave nothing of his thoughts away.

If she was going to understand just what their situation was and how to get out of it, then logically the more information she had the better off they'd be.

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The handsome butler (_wait, did she really just think that_?) paused a moment before answering.

"Miss Granger, while I understand your desire for knowledge, such questions are better asked of my Master as he has not informed me of his intentions."

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Harry interrupted then with a question of his own.

"So you have no idea or guesses on what this is about?

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"Mr. Potter, even if I had any suppositions about what my Master desires I would not tell you. What kind of Phantomhive butler would I be if I gossiped about my Lord to strange wizards?"

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"Please Mr. Michaelis, can you at least give us some idea of what to expect when we go down to see Ciel again?" Hermione asked.

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The butler smiled kindly at her a moment.

"Miss Granger, there is no need to be so formal with me. I would prefer you to call me by my first name, Sebastian.'

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"Alright… Sebastian."

Her face seemed to feel hot. _Was she getting a fever from her swim in the lake_?_ Oh no_!_ Was she actually blushing_?_ Was that what this was_?_ What was wrong with her_?

"But you have to call me by my first name too."

_Yep, there was defiantly something wrong with her_. Those words left her mouth without even getting permeation from her brain. She gave herself a mental slap. Just because he was good looking and rather charming when he wasn't threatening to turn her into a knife studded pincushion, was no reason to trust him or let down her guard.

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"…ione? Miss Hermione? Are you well?" Sebastian asked. He had leaned down and his face was very close to hers.

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She felt her earlier blush come back with a burn.

"I-I-I'm fine. I was just distracted for a moment, thinking."

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Sebastian leaned in closer, lifted her chin with one gloved hand and looked seductively into her eyes. Their lips only inches apart.

"Are you sure? Miss Hermione you looked quite dazed. What were you thinking about?"

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She was certain her face was now as red as a tomato from the strength of her blushes. She gazed into those ruby colored eyes, heart beating fast, and lost for words. Her mind had gone completely blank.

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From behind hands suddenly grabbed her arms and shoulders, pulling her back to reality and away from Sebastian. A quick look over her shoulder confirmed that one pair of hands belonged to Ron and the other to Harry. She quickly looked away and stared at the hallways' burgundy colored carpet as if it was the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen in her whole life. She couldn't remember the last time she was this embarrassed. For a brief moment she'd totally forgotten her friends were even there.

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While she was memorizing the floor, Harry and Ron were glaring over her bent head at Sebastian.

"Hay! Just what do you think you're doing! Leave Mione alone."

"Back off! Stay away from Hermione!"

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Sebastian didn't chuckle. His lips didn't curl. Not by even a twitch did he betray himself. However, his red eyes, as he gazed back at the two angry boys, were so full of amused mockery that they knew he was silently laughing at them. The way his polite smile seemed to grow ever-so-slightly bigger let them know that he knew they knew he found them all laughably amusing.

He even kept his voice sounding perfectly courteous with just a hint of innocent confusion, when he replied.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I have merely responded to Miss Hermione's inquiries and asked after her health."

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In the silence that followed this statement Hermione, Harry, and Sebastian could almost swear that they could hear Ron grinding his teeth as his face started to darken with anger.

Before any explosion of temper could come, the voice of the little Earl suddenly thundered through the building.

"Sebastian, quit playing around and bring me my tea!"

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Now Sebastian did show a mocking smile.

"Ahh, it seems that I have lingered here too long. My little Lord is calling and I must come."

He started to walk away, then paused, "In answer to your earlier request, Miss Hermione, my young Master is easily angered and cannot tolerate any disrespect. Guests are expected to conduct themselves with their very best manners and behave courteously at all times. As a member of the Nobility this is only to be expected. If you should find that you have nothing good to say it would be best to remain silent unless demanded otherwise."

The butlers' eyes flicked over the three young wizards, lingering momentarily on Ron and Hermione.

"Since it appears that I have somehow upset the three of you, I will give you a valuable piece of advice. Do not tell lies. Whatever you say, make sure it is the truth. Due to his past and present circumstances, Ciel Phantomhive hates lies in others. His current nature is such that he can detect that sin instantly. Do not waste time with hollow words."

With that, the butler once more turned around and started walking away. The wizards didn't move until he turned a corner and disappeared.

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Hermione knew that the best thing to do would be to quickly talk about everything that had happened since meeting the Earl and his butler, but after what just occurred in the hallway between Sebastian and her, she didn't want to talk to anyone. She felt too embarrassed and wanted a little time to calm down and collect herself. Besides Ron was still angry and it would be a waste of time to try talking to him when he was like that. Hopefully he'd be in a more reasonable mood after his shower.

This was why, as soon as the butler vanished from sight, she immediately opened and entered one of the guestrooms, locking the door behind her. She listened for a few seconds, but didn't hear anything until the sounds of the other two guestroom doors opening and closing came to her ears. Ron and Harry must not have felt like talking either.

Oh well, since she was here she might as well wash up. A hot shower sounded really good right about now. It was a good thing the guestrooms each had their own bathroom.

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(**Demons P.O.V**)

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Ciel was seated in the parlor when Sebastian arrived with a cup of fragrant tea. He was very amused, having heard everything that had passed between his butler and the young wizards. Demonic hearing did have its advantages and he could well imagine the expressions on his guests' faces when Sebastian had no doubt flirted with that girl right in front of them.

Sebastian set the tea cup down on a nearby table and turned to his master when he heard Ciel's quiet laughter.

"Does something amuse you Young Master?"

.

"Sebastian, are you enjoying our guests?"

"Indeed, My Lord. I find their reactions most entertaining."

"Then perhaps it was good that I called for you as I did. It certainly seemed like a good time for you to exit the conversation. What do you make of them?"

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Sebastian spared a moment to consider the question.

"They are young and somewhat impetuous, especially Mr. Weasley. I suspect that he has strong feelings for Miss Hermione. He seems to me to be the least intelligent of the three and the most impulsive, as well as the quickest to show anger. I believe that he is also extremely loyal and protective to his friends."

Sebastian decided to give his report on Hermione next.

"Miss Hermione is unquestionably the most intelligent of the three and I suspect that she possesses a curious nature that is always thirsty for knowledge. She has a measure of bravery, but is not given to recklessness. "

The demonic butler remembered how red her face had turned as a result of his teasing. It made him want to laugh. He would enjoy toying with her some more if he got the chance.

"Mr. Potter is the leader of their group. While I have not personally observed much from him myself, if I was to base my judgments on what I have heard, I would say that he is brave, reckless, lucky, clever, and has some measure of a hero complex. If even half of what is said about him is true, then he is lucky to be alive at all. I have also heard some rumors about his being part of a prophecy."

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Ciel snorted with disdain at the very idea of such nonsense.

"Prophecy's are nothing but the ramblings of the mad and deluded. By our choices we make our own fate. One need only read the myths of the old Greek classic's to see what happens to those who let fear of some oracles insane babbling lead to creating the very disaster the listener wished to prevent."

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"Indeed, Bocchan, that is very true. Self-fulfilling prophecies' are like that. The harder you try to escape the predicted fate, the more swiftly and cruelly it comes about. Often resulting in the creation of the very enemy that hearer desired to avoid."

Sebastian smiled and shook his head. Humans were such pathetic creatures.

"However, Bocchan, the magical community takes such things seriously and in fact makes a point to collect all genuine prophecies as well as recording their eventual outcomes. For this reason, they have some cause to place their faith in such things, since the foretellings have a tendency of coming true."

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Ciel shook his head. Somewhere deep inside where his long ignored more empathetic feelings were locked away, he felt a slight stirring.

"If this is true then, in his own way, Potter is just as cursed as me."

"That is true My Lord. However, no matter what becomes of him, I highly doubt that his eventual fate will mirror yours."

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They were both quiet for a few moments before Sebastian broke the silence.

"If I may ask, Young Master, what are your intentions?"

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Ciel looked at Sebastian and smiled mischievously.

"I have several things in mind. Plus I have been a bit bored lately and playing with wizards looks like a fun game. At this time, Sebastian, I do not have any useful reason to make enemies of them and I have an idea that a more beneficial possibility may even be possible. On that I will have to wait and see. So I would like you not to get too carried away while entertaining our guests. Is that understood?"

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Sebastian bowed, "Yes, My Lord," before leaving to prepare lunch and deliver the promised change of clothes to the guests.

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**Well, this chapter's done. Every time I go over this I keep hearing all the conversations that didn't take place. I tried thinking of ways to work them in but, as good as they would defiantly have been, they just don't fit. **

*** sob ***

**I'll try to work those absent conversational threads into the next chapter, but I make no promises.**

**Hopefully this chapter was good enough and a few of you even liked that little fan-service scene between Hermione and Sebastian.**

**I look forward to hearing your reviews.**

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	5. Ch- 5 False Past

**Disclaimer****: I don't own or have any rights to KUROSHITSUJI and HARRY POTTER. This is a work of fiction that is based on more fiction. Of course you all probably know that. **

**This chapter sucks, sorry. **

**If you don't like it, don't review. **

**Only review this chapter if you like it.**

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**Chapter 5**

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They were silent as Sebastian led the way through the labyrinth of corridors and back down stairs.

Ron had calmed down a little, but the glares he kept shooting at the butlers back made it clear that he was still angry.

Hermione had decided to pretend that her moment with Sebastian had never happened.

Harry's thoughts were occupied by concern for his friends and the upcoming meeting with the Phantomhive Earl.

For his part, Sebastian was enjoying the guests' discomfort. He wasn't sure what Ciel was up to this time, but it promised to be entertaining. One thing he was sure of was that his master wanted to further his knowledge of the Wizarding World and collect some useful pawns along the way.

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Ciel was already seated at the dining room table when his guests were ushered in. They sat quietly in an awkward silence as the butler served them a light lunch; a savory vegetable soup with two beef sandwiches each.

Sebastian stationed himself against the wall behind the young wizards once they each had their plates.

Ciel dipped his spoon into his own soup but didn't bother tasting it. Instead he slowly swished it around and studied the teenagers. Their discomfort was obvious as they stared distrustfully at the food, and it was all he could do not to smirk. He darted a glance at Sebastian and saw his own amusement mirrored in the elder demons eyes.

Spreading a friendly smile on his face, he addressed his reluctant guests.

"Is the food not to your liking? I can have something else brought out if you prefer."

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Harry quickly dipped his spoon into the soup.

"No, Phantomhive, this is fine," he said as he lifted it to his lips.

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"Harry…" Ron warned, causing the boy to hesitate.

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Ciel laughed and quickly reassured them.

"Please, call me Ciel. If at all possible I would like us to get along; so really, there's no need to be so wary. We haven't done anything weird to the food. If we meant you harm there would be no need to stoop to such methods. Besides, it would be a terrible waste. Sebastian is arguably the finest cook in England. I can almost guaranty that even such simple fair as this will be better than anything you've tasted before."

He paused and his smile changed to a grin, his tone careless. However, none of it touched his empty eyes.

"I would feel terribly insulted if you didn't at least try it."

Left unspoken were the words: _and we wouldn't want_ that _now would we_.

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Harry hesitated a moment longer before trying it. His eyes widened and he stared in amazement down at his bowl.

"This is incredible! I've never had anything like it!"

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"Of course," Ciel replied. "I only have the best. The Phantomhives were famous for their hospitality."

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Hermione perked up at this.

"Were?"

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"Indeed. Before my family was destroyed, we often had company over and hosted quite a few parties. After I returned and rebuilt the mansion I had little interest in such things, though of course I had to fulfill my social obligations on occasion once the Queen bestowed me with my father's title."

He had their complete attention. It was only natural. They had to be very curious about him. But knowledge was power and he'd only give them the tiniest amount, it was always better to keep people guessing. Sebastian's earlier teasing would have provided ample distraction (the demon could be truly irritating when he wanted to be), and these people would have lost much of their previous focus.

In negotiations, a solid base to stand on was essential. People who lost their balance easily fell into traps. So he'd give them a few scraps to keep them guessing and willing talk. Then he'd talk them into whatever he wanted.

"Even after the second fire I had to maintain my image. Unfortunately, not long after that there were some unexpected and highly distasteful incidents. I suppose you could say that one curse got traded for another. In the end I thought it best to leave for a while and see something more of the world. When I returned to England, I no longer felt any need to pay attention to the social niceties and I do not care for attention. So, instead of moving back into my family's estate I had this lake-house built and I've lived here ever since."

Again he smiled. Perhaps it was the way he had tilted his head or some small trick of the light, but for a second his expression seemed edged in darkness.

"Very few people ever come here and those that do are special associates with whom I either have business or who have business with me."

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Again, silence fell. But this time it was more thoughtful than awkward. Harry and Hermione started eating and after a moment Ron joined them. They quickly forgot their earlier uncertainty in favor of eating as much of the delicious food as they could.

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Butler and Lord watched them eat, each of them thinking the same thing: _these children were fools_.

All that talk with nothing really said and the teens feel more comfortable with them. Plus, even though the food really was alright it was still very careless to instantly take their word for it without question.

Only the idiot red-head had shown caution. What did it say about this group that the dumbest member was more intelligent than either the Leader or the Brain.

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Right then the red-headed Ronald Weasley glanced over at Ciel and noticed that his food was still untouched.

"How come you're not eating?"

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Maybe he wasn't as stupid as they had taken him for.

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Hermione and Harry looked up from their nearly empty plates in suddenly renewed suspicion as Ciel answered.

"I can't eat it. You can have it though if you want."

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Harry and Hermione each gave him their most piercing looks. They asked almost at the same time:

"Why can't you eat it?"

"Why do you have it if you can't eat it."

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Ciel chuckled darkly.

"And now we come to the heart of the matter. Well, since you look like you're done eating, I'll explain. First: if I had sat here with no food of my own in front of me, staring at you three; no matter what assurances I could have given, you likely wouldn't have eaten. Correct?"

He waited and after a moment of thought, the wizards nodded and Hermione admitted that he was probably right.

"A good host should be considerate of his guests' needs. Whatever else you have been doing, there can be no doubt that you were in need of: a hot bath, a solid meal, clean clothes, and a good long nap. However, as you also claimed to be in something of a hurry, all I could provide for you was a hot shower, fresh clothes, and a quick lunch. Can you honestly say that my effort have not made you feel at least a little bit better?"

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The wizards remained quiet while they thought about it. Ciel had practically taken them prisoner, but the only thing he was forcing them to do was feel better and talk with him.

Harry was the first to speak.

"It's not that we don't appreciate what you've done for us, it's just that we don't know if we should thank you or try to escape."

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Ciel laughed and replied, "I get that a lot. I suppose I'm just not good at making friends."

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Ron still looked distrustful, but Hermione's expression was more thoughtful. She did want to know the answer to the other question though.

"No offence, but I would still like to know why you won't eat with us."

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Ciel nodded and moved on to the remaining question.

"The answer is actually a somewhat delicate topic, as it touches on things I'd rather not talk about. However, in an effort to put you at ease, I'll tell you a few things."

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Ciel gazed contemplatively up at the ceiling, as if thinking of the best way to begin. He could feel three pairs of eyes staring at him, silently urging him on.

The atmosphere of suspicion seemed to lighten as they wait for him to speak.

A good performer knows the value of setting the mood for the audience. A good conman knows how to work a crowd. A demon knows that there are times when less is more. Well, he always was a good actor and had a talent for manipulation long before losing his humanity.

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"The Phantomhives have been a wealthy and powerful family for many generations. Our status as Nobles, our success in business, as well as our various other connections, had allowed the Phantomhive family to rise to a level of prominence and power second only to the Queen. I'm sure you can understand, then why we also had many enemies."

He paused a moment to let them think about it.

"Many of the so-called bright and shinning elite have a darker side. A smiling face more often than not hides a corrupt and depraved soul. While this isn't always the case, it's true more often you might think. As for the ones that are genuinely of worth… Well, let's just say that even an angel can fall if confronted by an ambitious temptation."

This last was said so darkly that the listening wizards were sure it was the voice of personal experience. Ciel's next words soon confirmed their guess.

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"This is what happened to my family. A certain person to whom the Phantomhives had great admiration and had done many favors for, in a moment of weakness, one day fell to a holy temptation. This person's conspirator whispered words of false hope into an eager ear and not long after it was decided that, as the first step to creating pure and shinning world, the house of Phantomehive must fall. The event took place on the evening of my eleventh birthday."

The little Earl's expression was dark. His eyes and voice empty.

"It was the most memorable day of my life."

He closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"There was fire and blood, so much blood… Everyone died. By knife or gun they died. I ran, calling for my parents. I found them in my father's study. Their attacker had just finished doing…the things it had been doing. I have no words to describe the…act…that that had been committed upon them. "

The boy looked up. His one visible blue eye stared piercingly into the faces of the wizards.

"You know magic. As wizards you have seen the impossible become real. I understand that you're fighting in a civil war against dark magic users. I have no doubt that you have seen things, evil and unnatural, that should never be done. Some…acts…are so taboo, so forbidden that the type of mind that could even conceive of such…things…let alone commit them is just…wrong. My parents' attacker had paid careful, and unnatural, attention to them and the result was…wrong. There was blood everywhere because the extra…parts…had been cut off and thrown aside. I-I-I'd rather not talk about that. Or what happened after."

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Hermione wanted to comfort the boy, and at this moment that's all he seemed to be, an angry little boy who'd lost his family.

Harry felt the same way as Hermione. He'd lost his family too. The only difference between Ceil and him was that Ciel had known his family, and that must have made the pain of losing them much worse.

Ron also felt bad for Ciel and if he was telling the truth then maybe the creepy little brat hadn't had as easy a life as he'd thought. But he didn't see what any of this had to do with not eating lunch.

One thing that the wizards were certain of was that whatever happened next in the kids' story was going to be bad.

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Sebastian watched them all silently and smiled. His young master was quite the talented actor. He could easily sense the strong emotions the wizards were feeling from hearing the Earl's story. They had already forgotten much of their suspicion.

Up until now his Lord had been telling an edited version of the truth. The demon wondered if his master would continue to do so or if he would now come up with some clever lies.

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**AUTHOR NOTE****: **

**Ok, I tried not to do it, but now it can't be helped. Until the rest of Ciel's fake story is told, this is all going to be Ciel talking, without any interruptions from the people listening. Sorry, but that's how it's going to have to be until he's done talking. **

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Ciel was taking deep calming breaths. He held himself stiffly and clenched his fists.

_Ok, I've got them hooked. I don't know much about the magic community, but some things are universal and people will always be people. Every society has its dark side. I just need to keep this simple._

"I was taken. It would have been kinder if they'd killed me. Tell me wizards, have you heard the term 'human trafficking' before? The world is full of unscrupulous people. They like money more than anything and they can make a lot by profiting on the misery of others. Of course this is only possible because there are people who have interests in things that they shouldn't. So long as there are those who indulge immoral interests and have the money to pay for them, there will always be someone willing to procure a body (living, dead, or in pieces) for auction.

It was to such people as these that I was taken and sold.

By the way, have you three ever spent any time thinking about where spells come from?

Think about it. Someone had to come up with the spells, rituals, potions, and the like. Someone had to test their theories to see what would happen. It's all part of the scientific method: State the problem, collect information, form a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, draw a conclusion, then repeat the whole thing again in 100 ways until you can be sure of the findings. It's all very logical; a sensible way to advance the magical arts.

The difficulties often lay in finding something, _or someone_, to test the spells on. After all it's important to know what the effect of a new spell might have on a human, right? I'd imagine that there are a lot of rules and laws about that sort of thing.

I bet that is _especially_ true if the magic's being researched are of an obviously dark nature. The type of thing that you would want to keep secret, except from your close friends who share your interests and maybe a few secret little hobbies…

Of course this sort of endeavor requires test subjects, lots of them, and the younger, more resilient they are the better. You could grab a few children here or there easily enough, it's tragic but kids disappear all the time. The trouble is, if too many vanish in one place someone might start to notice.

How fortunate it is that, for the right price, there are places where you can buy as many kids as you want, no questions asked. What a convenient way to get new test subjects when the old ones get too broken.

You understand what I'm saying right?

The place I was taken to had over a dozen other children.

Sometimes we shared a cage, sometimes I would have it to myself. I could see what happened to the other children, just as they could see me; bars don't provide much in the way of privacy anyway and our captors didn't care what we saw. They were going to kill us all eventually anyway, so that didn't matter.

I lasted longer than the others. One of the reasons I was spared from the more certainly fatal activities was that, out of all the kids there, I was the best looking. They all paid me a lot of 'special' personal attention.

One of them even remarked that I looked cute when I screamed.

I trust that you understand why I don't wish to go into the details.

A test subject has no need to be told what is being done to them or what is going to be done.

One thing was true, that place changed me in many ways. The person I became was very different from the boy I had been before my parents deaths.

One day, about a month after I'd been brought to that place, they began preparations for something big. Something that would require a lot of sacrifices. I guess that they'd tired of me or maybe thought that I had become too dangerous. Whatever the reason, all the children were gathered and placed into three large cages. They intended to kill us all, one after the other for their sick little ritual.

This was the day I met Sebastian

I have no idea what his life was like before we met. Sebastian himself has no memory of living a normal human life before that day either. In fact, I'm the one that named him.

But whatever his past, the fact of the matter is that he possesses unbelievable abilities and skills. For all intents and purposes he is a living weapon. A man who could control him could possibly even control the world.

As you can imagine, his presence there caused quite a stir.

I am equally sure that you can understand that he had no particular liking for any of those people. He saw no reason why he should do anything for them.

This was what the children's sacrifices were for: to gain complete and total obedience, without hesitation or hope of escape, over Sebastian.

What greater power to use for such a thing could there be then the lives and souls of children?

I watched as one by one the children were taken from the cages, forced to lay on an alter, and then stabbed in the heart.

Eventually I was the only one left.

I hated them all so much.

From the depths of my soul I screamed my hate, my wish to kill them all, to not let them get away with everything they'd done.

I'm not sure what happened next.

Maybe their eagerness and my struggles combined to make a distraction at a key moment, or maybe my hatred and my will were so strong that it did something to fate or the power. It could even have been pure chance. I just don't know.

For whatever the reason, their spell went wrong.

In that moment it was me, not that crazy murderer, that got control of Sebastian.

He named me his master and asked for my first order.

I ordered him to kill them all and reduce that evil place to ashes.

After that, I returned to take my place as the next Earl of Phantomhive, take my revenge on everyone responsible for my suffering and the death of my parents. I made Sebastian my butler and with his help my wish came true.

.

Now, you wanted to know why I couldn't eat lunch with you.

If you haven't already come to the appropriate conclusion yet, I'll spell it out for you: I can no longer be considered human and I never chose to become like this. Human food and drink is no better than ash or air on my tongue.

While my current state has many advantages, it can also be considered cursed.

Imagine never being able to eat chocolate, candy, cake, pastry's, roast beef or chicken. I can smell exactly how good it all is but I can't eat it.

There's other things to.

One day, I'm not sure when, my body stopped growing. Look at me! It's been over 15 years and I haven't gotten even 1 inch taller. I'm never going to marry and have children of my own. I'm the last Phantomhive and when I die there will be no one left to carry on the Phantomhive name."

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**Good, that's the end of the chapter. Chapter 6 picks up right where this one leaves off and it will be a better chapter.**

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	6. Ch 6 Whats Happened

**Disclaimer: I don't own KUROSHITSUJI or HARRY POTTER.**

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**CHAPTER 6**

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**(Sebastian's Point Of View)**

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Sebastian mentally applauded his master while the three wizards sat in horrified silence. To tell such a long misleading story and only utter 1 outright lie was most commendable. Oh there were a few holes in the tale but he doubted that the wizards would question them, even if they were to notice.

He wanted very much to chuckle but held it in. Him a former human, how utterly absurd. The story would explain away any inhuman skills he and his master might show, but was being thought of as the products of illegal magic experiments really better than simply telling these children the truth?

Well, if Ciel wanted to win them over with sympathy instead of fear, this was probably the best way to do it. It had certainly been fun watching their reactions. These guests were the most fun he'd had for quite some time and there could be no doubt that this was just the beginning.

He had already cleared away all the dishes from the table. The humans had been so caught up in listening to his master that they hadn't even noticed when their plates had disappeared.

Time had not dulled any of Ciel's skills and it was obvious that they believed him.

He wondered which of the three young wizards would be the first to speak.

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"Ciel…"

Ah, it was Harry Potter.

"After hearing that, I don't know what to say. Some bad things have happened to me to, but nothing that even comes close to what you went through. I can't imagine what it must have been like. In your place, I'd want nothing to do with magic or wizards. I'd probably hate them all on sight."

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"That's true. But no matter what I may look like, I'm not a child. I had to grow up fast in order to survive and part of that means trying to be realistic about where to place the blame for all the wrongs I suffered. The people who hurt me are dead. Should I blame an entire society for the deeds of a few? Should I punish you three for the actions of someone you never met, or even heard of, and would have probably hated if you had?"

The little Lord shook his head.

"I will hate forever. I will never stop, never forget, and _never_ let it go. But I no longer have anyone to hate. With nowhere to channel my energies to, and having to live somewhat separate from the normal human world, I find myself feeling a bit restless."

Ciel leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"Don't get me wrong, it's not like I have nothing to do. I'm the CEO of a major company. It doesn't run on its own and I have to stay current on many things in order to make sure we keep our position at the top. But it does get boring."

Ciel smiled, and though his expression was still pleasant, the smile didn't touch his eyes.

"Then I see you three, literally, drop in and I hear your conversation. Then I see this."

Ciel pulled the golden cup of Helga Huffllepuff from seemingly nowhere and set it on the table in front of him. The wizards immediately focused their attention on it.

"This is clearly a thing of dark qualities and, unless I am very much mistaken, there seems to be a tainted soul attached to it."

The Earl paused and turned his attention from the cup to the wizards.

"It has become my nature to be sensitive to such things and I am sure that you can understand my interest. I would like you to tell me about this cup and your involvement in this wizard war."

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Harry, Ronald, and Hermione looked at each other.

Sebastian could sense their uncertainty and knew that his master could also sense it.

The girl turned to her companions and said, "Maybe we should tell him. I don't see any harm in it."

Ronald, face uncertain, replied, "I don't know, Mione. It's not really their business and I still don't think we should trust them."

Hermione hesitated, "Ron, he's not with You-Know-Who and it's not like it's any secret what we've done since we all met our First Year at Hogwarts. There's loads of news paper articles about some of it even. We wouldn't be telling him anything he couldn't find out on his own."

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Ciel interrupted with another question.

"Who is this 'You-Know-Who' that you keep referring to? Why don't you just say his name?"

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"We can't say it," Explained Hermione. "We found out that he put a spell on his name so he'd be able to track down anyone that says it. All his followers call him 'The Dark Lord' and regular people just call him 'You-Know-Who.' The only people that say his name are all his enemies. They say it because they want to show that they're not afraid of him. By putting the spell on his name he can quickly locate his enemies and send Deatheaters to capture them."

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"Deatheaters?" Questioned Ciel.

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Hermione again was the one to answer.

"That's what he calls his close followers. If you want I could write down his name for you. It should be safe as long as you don't say it out loud."

.

Sebastian inwardly smiled. The girl appeared more comfortable talking to Ciel then she had been before. It looked like his little Lord had won her over.

Ciel ordered Sebastian to bring him paper and a pen.

Moments later the items arrived and, with neat handwriting, Hermione wrote:

VOLDMORTE, real name: TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

Ciel snorted when he saw it. Being the gaming expert that he was, Sebastian was sure that his master had noticed the anagram. Change the letters of Tom's name around and you get:

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

"An anagram," Ciel confirmed the butler's thoughts. "How infantile. I know only what little I've heard from you three about him, but judging by his name he seems more like a Dark Idiot, and an overly dramatic one at that. Hmph! Dark Lord indeed, even I have more right to such a title then he. What's he after anyway and where do you three fit in?"

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Harry had stayed quiet, thinking about how to answer Ciel's questions.

"You're not going to give us back the cup or our wands unless we talk are you?" He asked, getting right to the point.

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Ciel smiled, recognizing a victory.

"Nope."

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"Fine."

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* * *

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**(General Point Of View)**

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With that Harry explained about the Prophecy foretelling that only Harry would be able to defeat the Dark Lord and that "neither could live while the other survives," as the prophecy put it.

"That much seems to be true enough. As long as he lives he's going to keep coming after me and hurting people. If I don't stop him I'm never going to live a normal life and all the people I care about are going to be in danger. He has to be stopped and I'm the one that's got to do it."

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Ciel recalled Sebastian's earlier report on Harry Potter. The boy really did have a hero complex and that prophecy defiantly sounded like the self-fulfilling type.

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Harry explained how his family had been targeted while he was just a baby once the enemy learned of the prophecy.

He talked about his life after that; being raised by his magic hating Aunt & Uncle, turning 11 and going to Hogwarts School Of Witch Craft & Wizardry, and his subsequent adventures doing everything he could to stop the Dark Lord's followers from reviving their master.

First, with the Philosopher's stone that could make long-levity potions.

Second, with the enchanted diary and what happened in the Chamber of Secrets with the Basilisk.

Third, about the mass escape from Azkaban, the wizard's prison and meeting his Godfather Sirius Black. He also ended up explaining about the Dementors, dark deathly phantom-like creatures that drained all warmth & happiness from their surroundings. He explained how their presence makes you re-live your worse memories and that they can steal your soul with a Death Kiss.

Forth, about the Wizarding Tournament, the death of his friend Cedric, and the Dark Lord being revived.

Fifth, about the Order Of The Phoenix that was founded to stop the Dark Lord and his followers. Harry also angrily told them about The Ministry Of Magic and how corrupt and useless they were, along with all the trouble they had caused.

Sixth, he talked about the death of the schools Headmaster, Professor Dumbledor, and the traitorous double agent, Professor Severus Snape, that had betrayed and killed him. Harry hesitated here and Ciel, sensing that whatever it was must be important, prompted him to continue. After much convincing, Harry talked about the Deathly Hallows and the horcruxes.

The Deathly Hallows were supposedly 3 items gifted by Death himself to 3 wizard brothers. One was the greatest cloak of invisibility to ever exist, one was the mightiest wand to ever exist, and the last was a ring that could bring back images of loved ones who had died.

Horcuxes were items that the darkest of dark magic's had been worked on. The gold cup that Ciel had asked about was a horcux. By means of killing other's in a certain dark ritual, the spell caster could tear off a piece of his own soul and place inside a particular object. This maimed the spell casters soul, but the advantage was that should that person later die, as long as the horcux existed there would be a chance of returning. All that would be needed would be for the soul to take over a suitable body.

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Ciel couldn't repress a shiver when he heard this. It sounded similar to the ring that Claude had made with Alois Trancy's soul and then later put in Ciel's body. His memories of that time weren't good.

He looked contemplatively at the cup but his words were for Harry.

"And you say there are more of them?"

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"Yes," said Harry. "You-Know-Who has made several of them. We know he couldn't have made very many. We're certain he made at least 7. We've managed to destroy a few of them and we think that there's only 2 or 3 left. The only way we can stop the Dark Lord so that he can never come back is to destroy all the horcruxes and then him. The trouble is that a horcrux is not easy to destroy. The only way to do it is to use a method that will damage it beyond any hope of repair."

Harry then went on to explain how they broke into Gringotts, a goblin run bank, stole the cup, and then escaped on the back of a dragon that had been kept down there to guard the vaults.

He concluded with, "When the dragon started to descend over your lake we thought it was a good time to jump off. The rest you know."

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Ciel sat quietly, lost in thought. The room became quiet as they all watched him.

Finally he spoke.

"Do you remember when we first met and I mentioned discussing a deal?"

He waited until teens indicated that they did, before continuing.

"I think it's time to tell you what it is I want."

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* * *

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**As promised, this chapter was better (I think anyway) then the previous one.**

**Do you like Cliff hanger endings? I Do.**

**Hee hee hee! * evil laugh ***

**Please Review.**

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7/27/20012


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own KUROSHITSUJI or HARRY POTTER**

**Math is not my strong point, just so you know. It would be too much trouble to change things when I'm this far along in the story anyway, so please just bear with it. As a reminder, here's the numbers: Story is set in 2007, Ciel was born around 1876, Ciel became a demon in 1889 at the age of 13, Ciel met Sebastian 1 month after his 10****th**** birthday, before becoming a demon Master & Servant had been together for about 3 years, and at this point in the story Ciel and Sebastian have known each other about a 122 years.**

**Anyway, all that aside, this chapter turned out rather oddly. I'm not sure how to describe it. What matters though, is that it served its purpose and moved the story along in the right direction.**

**I'd also like to thank my kind and loyal reviewers. Their words helped give me the push I needed to keep the chapters coming and do my best to make them as good (and mistake free) as possible. So, thank you to:**

_**Zane Tribal Tyne Alexandros**_

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**Claudia Faustina**

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**Chapter 7**

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"What I want is-"

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Suddenly Harry screamed, clutched his head, and fell to the floor in obvious pain.

Ciel was so startled that, for a moment, he froze before rushing over to where Ron and Hermione were already crouched worriedly by their friend.

"Sebastian, what's wrong with him?"

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Hearing his masters question, the butler stepped away from the wall where he had been unobtrusively observing and made his way over to the fallen boy. However, as swiftly as it had begun the seizure abruptly ended and Harry, pale and slightly jittery, started to struggle to his feet.

.

As soon as Harry was able to catch his breath he started talking.

"He knows. He knows what we did, what we're doing."

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While Harry talked about his Voldemort induced vision, Ciel and Sebastian unobtrusively backed away. The two demons half listened to the wizards' panicked conversation, while having a quiet rushed conversation of their own.

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"Sebastian, do you know of any promises, oaths, or such like that wizards consider binding and unbreakable?"

"Yes, My Lord. There is one. It binds their magic to their life. Should the oath be broken the magic will attack the oath-breakers life and kill them."

Ciel grinned, "Excellent. Sebastian I want to extract some quick promises. You'll give them back their wands for that. As soon as they're done, you'll snatch back their wands and follow my lead. That's an order."

"Yes, My Lord. "

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The butler's gaze narrowed as he looked intently at his lord.

"Master, if I may ask, what are you scheming?"

Grin growing wider, and with a mischievous glint briefly flashing through his one visible eye, the little Earl replied, "Oh nothing, we're just going to go on a fun little adventure. I'm also expecting that a few beneficial, potentially long-term, things will come of this."

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* * *

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The three wizards finished their own conversation right around then, suddenly noticing that Ciel and his butler had not been part of it and had in fact been having their own private words.

Normally they would have spared a few moments to wonder or to question such obviously suspicious behavior; but now that Voldemort knew what they were up to and was moving quickly to check all of his horcruxes, they no longer had a moment to waste.

Harry turned to face the little Earl.

"You-Know-Who knows that we're after his horcuxes. And he's going to check them all now. I now know that he only has 2 left. We can't afford to wait. We have to leave now. You said you'd give back our wands and the cup if we talked. Are you going to go back on that?"

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Ciel nodded, face serious.

"Of course not. I am a man of my word."

He gestured to Sebastian, and the butler stepped forward holding the three wands.

"Make an oath by your magic to act as my friends, keep my secrets, and never betray me. As soon as your done I'll destroy the this cup horcrux and your mission can continue."

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Harry paused, whatever he'd been about to say momentarily forgotten.

"What?"

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"You heard me. We don't have time to discuss or explain this. We can do that later. For now, you three just hurry with the oath. The sooner you finish and you see me destroy the cup, the sooner you can be on your way, right?"

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The young wizards spent a few brief moments arguing, but they were in a hurry and could practically _feel_ each precious second slipping away. Additionally, the oath that Ciel was asking them to make didn't seem like a big deal and they _did_ want to see too this horcrux's destruction as soon as possible. Plus, they didn't really have any other choice.

.

As soon as they finished, the wands again disappeared from the wizards hands; a quick glance confirmed that the mysterious butler was once more in possession of them.

Angry, they turned to face Ciel, but were shocked to silence by what they saw.

The little Earl's mouth was open and stretched impossibly wide. He then picked up the golden cup and shoved it into his mouth, sealing his lips closed as soon as it was all the way in.

Then he started to chew.

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* * *

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Ciel knew that it wasn't necessary to shove the cup into his mouth in order to eat the piece of soul, but he did want to show off a little and he thought that the teenaged wizards would feel more reassured if the cup showed at least a little evidence of physical damage.

This was why Ciel started to chew the golden cup as if it was gum instead of metal.

Even as the muffled sounds of twisting crumpling metal could be heard, a delicious flavor flooded into Ciel's mouth. A sensation of giddy euphoria quickly followed and spread through-out his body.

For the first time in longer then he could remember, Ciel Phantomhive felt happy.

He chewed and sucked, sucked and chewed, and drained out every drop of soul and dark magic that had been imbedded within the cup. When he was done he spit out a fist sized wad of chewed up gold.

Laughing a genuinely happy laugh (that shocked his demonic butler more than anything else in the last 122 years ever had), Ciel tossed the lump of gold to Harry.

"I feel wonderful! So this is what it feels like to be happy! It's been so long that I'd forgotten! Hee hee ha hA HA HA HA!"

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* * *

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Harry caught the gold lump Ciel tossed him and stared at the strange boy. He had no idea what to think. A quick glance at the butler's shocked expression confirmed that all the laughter and giggles was very out of character for the little Earl.

Ron edged closer and whispered to Harry, "Do you think the horcrux got to him and messed with his head like the locket did with me a few weeks back?"

Harry quickly whispered back, "But didn't the locket horcrux make you more negative and angry? Ciel looks like he's bursting with happiness."

This time it was Hermione that spoke, "What I want to know is _how_ he was able to break the horcrux like that? There's no way that was normal."

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Sebastian, meanwhile, had hurried to his masters' side.

"My Lord, are you well?"

Ciel grinned, "I feel fine."

"Bocchan, I've never seen you so… cheerful before."

"It was the taste."

Ciel sighed and smiled his first truly kind smile since before his parent's deaths.

"Sebastian, you're aware of the difference between vinegar and wine. It's all in the process and the treatment. My guess is that the dark magic acts like a spice that turns something that should be sour and rotten into a euphoric treat; and since I'm in such a generous mood I'm going to do something nice for you."

"Nice?"

.

"Hay," Ron interrupted, "how'd you do that?"

"Why'd you take our wands again?" Harry demanded.

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Ciel chuckled, some of his earlier mischievousness returning to his bright blue eye.

"Have you forgotten? Remember, first of all: I've got dangerous abilities. Second: You just pledged me your friendship. If I gave you back your wands now you'd probably be in such a hurry that you'd leave without Sebastian and me."

The Phantomhive Earl grinned.

"Now what sort of 'friend' would I be if I let you go off into danger without me? Besides, how can I help you dispose of the other horcruxes if I'm not with you?"

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"Wait," Hermione said, "Why are you coming with us?"

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"Why wouldn't I? Helping you is to my advantage; and can you honestly say that you will not have need of my help?"

The little blue-haired earl turned to his butler. His previously happy attitude already starting to fade. Still grinning, if slightly more darkly, he commanded, "Sebastian, get my daggers and my swords. We're going on a little trip."

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**Ok, that's done. Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. Also, sorry for the even longer wait that there's likely to be for the next one.**

**Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter.**

**Please review. (^-^)**

**8/7/2012**

P.S.:

Side Note - I just started watching this weird parody anime called "CROMARTIE HIGH SCHOOL." Even though this fact has nothing to do with anything, I'm mentioning it anyway because it was funny, made me laugh, and 'cause I felt like it. Heh! maybe I've been watching it too much and its starting to affect me? Well I'll know for sure if that's true if I start to think it normal for a Gorilla to work as a chef in a sushi restaurant.

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	8. Ch 8 Stage 2: Quest Start

**Disclaimer: I don't own KUROSHITSUJI or HARRY POTTER**

**I'm glad you liked the previous chapter. Things are going to get tricky for me from this point on because certain key events **_**have**_** to be included while other stuff can be glossed over or straight out skipped. Things aren't going to be the same as in the book or movie, so please accept that.**

**I can make you no promises about what the future holds except to say that a time will come when you get to see Ciel use his swords (he's had plenty of time to improve his fighting skills after all). Until then, I hope you'll like the chapters. **

**For those of you familiar with the book, we are currently at chapter 28 which is titled THE MISSING MIRROR. I forget why it's called that. It's not relevant to my story anyway. I also forget how far along we are movie wise into HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2. If I had to guess I'd say about 10 or 20 minutes. Again, it doesn't matter. I simply thought that some of you would like to know as a point of reference.**

**Lastly, this chapter is turning out to be a bit longer then planed. That's mostly due to my putting in Ciel's P.O.****V and explaining**** (finally, just as my reviewers have been demanding) ****just what it is that Ciel wants****. That part of things ended up adding in a lot of pages so I want you all to regard this chapter as actually being 2 and ½ chapters rather then 1 chapter.**

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**-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-**

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**Chapter 8**

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Hogsmeade was the village that was closest to Hogwarts. On weekends and holiday's the students often walked to the little wizard community to buy candies, supplies, or just hang out in the Three Broomsticks pub drinking butter beers. It had always been a somewhat cheerful little village that the magic students enjoyed visiting to take a break from school life.

Now, however it was a very different place.

Since Voldemort's official return and subsequent rise to power, a murkiness more felt then seen had settled over Hogsmeade. Everyone was suspicious of everyone else, unsure of who to trust.

Contingents of Death Eaters had been stationed there to keep an eye on the area. A bone deep cold caused by a few of the dark-robed wraith-like Dementors scattered throughout the skies around Hogsmeade and Hogwarts had permeated the area as well, giving all the residence a sense of hopeless depression and low level despair.

The people never left their homes if they could at all avoid it and they kept their windows shuttered tight, hiding away from any unfriendly eyes.

As a result, on this overcast day with the streets already empty and with the sun already set, the gloom had become more shadowed with the ever deepening darkness.

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It was on High Street, the main street in Hogsmeade, that they appeared.

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* * *

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Harry, Hermione, Ron, Sebastian and Ciel had firmly linked elbows; thus enabling them to teleport to Hogsmeade together.

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They had a moment to take in the dark deserted street before a loud alarm sounded.

The Earl and his butler quickly backed into a nearby alley and were swallowed by the shadows.

Harry had just enough time to whirl out his invisibility cloak and urge Ron and Hermione under it when the door of the Three Broomsticks burst open and a dozen cloaked and hooded Death Eater's dashed out, wands at the ready.

Harry grabbed Ron's wrist as he started to raise his wand. There were too many to fight and he didn't want to give away their position.

One of the Death Eaters waved his wand and silenced the alarm. Another, aware that Potter owned a cloak of invisibility, raised his wand and shouted, "_Accio Cloak_!" in a failed attempt to call it away.

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As one of the Deathly Hallows in the possession of its rightful owner, it could not be so easily defeated.

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"We know you're here Potter. You can't escape from us!" Shouted the one who had failed to summon away the cloak. "Everyone, spread out. He must be nearby."

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As six Of the Death Eaters hurried in the young wizards direction, Harry, Ron and Hermione backed as quickly as they could into the alley that Ceil and Sebastian had disappeared into.

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"We should just leave!" Hermione fiercely whispered. "We've got our wands, lets disapparate **(A/N: their word for magical teleportation)** from here now!"

"Let's go!" Ron seconded.

"We can't," disagreed Harry. "What about Ciel and Sebastian? Besides, The Death Eaters were ready for us. That alarm went off as soon as we arrived. I bet they've spell-trapped the area so that we can't dissapparate away."

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Just then one of the Death Eaters shouted to another.

"What about the dementors? Let'em have free rein and they'd find him quick enough!"

"The Dark Lord wants Potter dead by no hand but his—"

"—an' dementors won't kill him! The Dark Lord wants Potter's life, not his soul. He'll be easier to kill if he's been Death Kissed first!"

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The noises of agreement from the other Death Eaters could be clearly heard by the young wizards, filling them with dread.

To repel dementors they'd have to cast a Patronus spell. The problem with that would be that by producing the bright ghostly Patronuses they would give away their position and if they didn't the dementors would suck out their souls.

Before he could make a decision though, the cool evening took on an unnatural chill and what light remained in the environment started to drain away up to the twilight sky and vanish. Pitch-blackness descended and the teens clung tightly to each other as they slowly backed up to the end of the alley, bumping against a wall. It was a dead end.

The suffocating darkness seemed to close in on them and the biting cold stabbed their flesh almost to the bone. They could only stare in terror at the alley's entrance, waiting.

They did not have to wait long.

Around the corner the dementors came, ten or more of them. They floated soundlessly, inevitably closer. Their wispy dark gray cloaks and raised caules completely hiding their bodies from sight. The only visible proof that these creatures of nightmare were of flesh and blood rather than mist and shadows were their long-fingered, grayish-white hands. At the moment, those sickly hands were raised and reaching for the trio of wizards.

Harry's cloak could not hide them from the senses of these monsters.

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Out of choices, Harry raised his wand, focused his thoughts on how much he cared for his friends, and whispered, "_Expecto Patronum_!"

The bright light embodying his positive feelings, the Patronus, burst from his wand. Taking the form of a stag, the ghostly Patronus charged the dementors, instantly scattering them.

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"It's him, down there down there, I saw his Patronus, it was a stag!" The shouts if the Death Eaters drew closer, "Potters over there!"

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The dementors had retreated, taking much of the prevalent darkness with them, but the sounds of the Death Eaters footsteps drew closer.

Moments later the Death Eaters burst into the alley.

The three young wizards were trapped.

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One of the cloaked Death Eaters laughed evilly.

"We know you're in here, Potter. There's nowhere for you to run."

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Even as dread filled his heart, Harry tightened his grip on Hermione's hand and desperately tried to think of some way they could escape.

However, in their panic the teens had completely forgotten about their other two companions.

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The deeper blackness of a shadowed recessed doorway pealed back as the pale little earl and his butler stepped forward.

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The Death Eater that had shouted for Potter earlier was startled and irritated to see that they had caught some other brat.

"Who the Hell are you two? Where'd Potter go?"

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The boy smirked and glanced to the butler at his side, seeing a cruel smile that mirrored his own.

"Sebastian, go play with the dementors. Kill all of those repellent creatures in the area. Feel free to use whatever abilities you like for this task as long as no humans see you and you clean up your mess. Return here and clean up as well. You have 10 minutes. That's an order."

The butlers red eyes flashed bright with a malevolent magenta glow, the pupils slitting like a cats, and his grin grew wide enough to show his lengthening jagged teeth.

He knelt, placed one white gloved hand over his heart, and bowed.

"Yes, My Lord."

Sebastian stood up, tossed another evil grin to the Death Eaters then jumped up to the roof of one of the buildings bordering the alley before gleefully bounding away.

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The trio of young wizards standing behind the two demons had not seen the expression on the butlers face, but the Death Eaters had and they could not help but shiver at the sight.

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Ciel now addressed the Death Eaters.

"You want to know who I am," he said. His smirk turned into a grin and his one visible blue eye changed to red and glowed.

"I guess you could say that I am just one _Hell_ of a boy."

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There was something about this child that terrified the Death Eaters and froze them in place. They made no move against him, nor did they run. They were caught like a deer in a car's headlights, trapped by the boys glowing red eye.

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Ciel reached over his shoulders and pulled the twin short swords he had previously strapped to his back before leaving on this little adventure.

In a blur of motion he appeared behind the group Death Eaters, blocking the alley's exit from possible escape.

They had just enough time to whirl around in shock and see the boy when he suddenly moved; this time so quickly that the mortal's eyes couldn't even see the blur of his movements, just the lightning flashes of his steel swords.

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Ciel came to a sudden stop with his back to his pathetic foe's, facing the dead end of the alley where the young wizards huddled under the invisibility cloak, his glowing red eye seeming to lock with theirs.

Behind him the Death Eaters stood statue still before sprays of crimson blood burst from their throats and their bodies toppled lifelessly to the ground.

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"Now aren't you glad that I'm here with you?"

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* * *

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**(Ciel's Point Of View: Before The Adventure)**

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Before leaving his mansion, Ciel had armed himself with two matching swords and secreted countless daggers on his person, in the same way that Sebastian was able to hide his own cutlery weaponry.

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Ciel tried not to look too excited but the truth was that he was feeling more than a little giddy.

Partly this was due to the lingering effects of the horcrux he'd eaten. The other part, however, was due to other factors.

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The last few decades had been extremely boring.

Sure there had been some entertaining moments when business rivals would send people to try to capture or kill him. But really, they should have known better. Just because he looked like a child they all thought they'd be better off without him around, telling them what to do.

Often, when people learned that he was the head of the Funtom Toy & Confectionary Company they would suddenly forget that he was the reason the company was so successful. That he had overcome and avoided all the obstacles and pitfalls inherent in a boy his physical age running a business.

They thought they could kill him and take over.

Kidnap him and force him to sign everything over to their control.

It was funny how they seemed to forget that others had had similar ideas in the past.

It never seemed to occur to them that _they_ would be the ones to disappear.

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Ciel had never entered into a contract and never would. He didn't like the idea of someone ordering him around; also he _definitely_ didn't want to end up like Sebastian, trapped with a master he couldn't kill. Even if the chances of such an occurence happening again were miniscule, that was enough of a chance for Ciel to know that it could happen. He didn't think that cultivating a tasty soul was worth either the bother or the risk.

.

Ciel didn't venture much from his home if he could help it.

He didn't even need to eat souls too often, and so had no inclination to hunt them.

He didn't need to.

However, he had still eaten quite a few.

Kidnappers, Assassins, and on a few rare occasions even a small team of Mercenaries would venture onto his land. Sebastian took care of most of them. The ones he didn't immediately kill would have their soul eaten by one of the two demons.

It was always convenient when dinner delivered itself and it was fun to scare the invaders witless. Certainly they were always eager to tell Ciel whatever he wanted to know. Then of course he would invite their client over for a little chat.

There was more than one reason why his house was built like a maze. Hunting down unwanted guests just happened to be the most entertaining of those reasons.

.

Still, it had been a long time since anything fun had happened.

Sebastian was moping around like a robot. He'd make tea, go over the schedule, take care of the house, fawn pathetically over those retched cats, make more tea, reply to any question with a simple "yes, My Lord," and never say anything else.

Meanwhile, Ciel would read, or work on his paperwork, or study to keep up with the latest trends and innovations, or any of an endless number of boring things he had to do to stay informed on this fast paced modern world; and all of it was boring.

.

While the daily routine was comforting, it was also getting irritatingly dull. It was obvious that they were stuck in a rut.

.

Then there was the other matter.

After becoming a demon Ciel had had to re-learn how his body worked. He suddenly had powers that he had to learn how to control and properly use. And now that he was no longer physically weak, he had wanted to know how to fight. Also, he had had to learn what it meant to be a demon.

He had ordered Sebastian to teach him and the elder demon had worked him sadistically.

Ciel suspected that this was due partly so that Ciel wouldn't do anything that would reflect badly on both their reputations, partly because Sebastian was a sadistic bastard that liked to see his master suffer, and partly as an outlet for all his frustrations at his situation and not getting to eat Ciel's soul.

In short, Ciel had been trained to his limits and beyond, with Sebastian demanding absolute perfection from him all the way before declaring him finished with his training.

That had also been quite some time ago and Ciel had not had any opportunities to test his hard won skills.

.

Then there was the fact that he was a young demon and wanted to go on an adventure to prove himself.

Going on a dangerous magical quest in the midst of a potentially bloody civil war among wizards sounded like the perfect thing for a predator like him to do.

It would also be a excellent way to introduce himself in a welcome manner to the Wizarding World. After all, as long as their identity as demons was never found out, they would be accepted instantly in the magical community as friends of the famous Harry Potter and as Hero's of the wizards war (any side they chose to support would obviously win and Ciel didn't like what he'd heard about Voldemort).

This opened up all sorts of possibilities.

A mind as intelligent as Ciel's needed challenges to overcome. What could be more challenging then learning about a whole new world of wonders that he never suspected to exist?

And while magic would not work on him, perhaps he could have someone make a special charm that would work _around_ him. Since magic existed, illusion charms might also exist.

Charms to make him look 12 years older, or 22 years older, or even 37 years older.

If he could change his appearance to look 25, 35, or 50 years old then he could make himself appear to age and more easily pretend to be his own son (the explanations he has had to come up with in the past for inheriting control of his company are not so easily believed now-a-days) plus his associates and clients in business would look at him with more respect if he appeared to be an adult then they did now since he looked like a child. With Sebastian at his side he could even make sure that nothing and no one touched him and revealed the illusion.

Even if such a spell didn't currently exist he would pay some mortal wizard to research and create one.

For an opportunity like this, Ciel was willing to do just about _anything_.

Not to mention that there was no-knowing what other useful magic's might be out there, just waiting for him do discover.

The only ones who might be able to interfere or otherwise ruin his plans were Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger and he had already taken care of them.

.

They had been so distracted and in such a hurry that they hadn't really looked at the long term implications of the Oath they had sworn.

.

"_**Make an oath by your magic to act as my friends, keep my secrets, and never betray me."**_

.

Now he practically owned them.

They would have to tell people that he was a good friend of theirs and 'act' the part. This would all but guaranty that he would be welcome just about anywhere. Making useful contacts would be a simple matter. Perhaps he might even pick up some useful pawns while he was at it.

If and when they realized the truth about him or any less than moral things he might later do, they wouldn't be able to discuss it with anyone. No matter the reason they wouldn't be able to share any secrets they may learn.

They certainly wouldn't be able to turn against him or get anyone to do it in their place. Even though Ciel is a demon and thus beyond any humans ability to harm, they might still cause some troublesome inconveniences if they tried. Being the adventurous hero-types they were, they just might one day make the attempt. The Oath, however, would ensure that they couldn't.

If they ever tried to break their sworn word to him, they would die. The Oath would punish them.

Best of all, Ciel had made no oaths or promises to them. He was under no obligations, what-so-ever, to the three wizards, while they had no choice but to be loyal to him. They might well become very useful pawns in the future.

It would be highly amusing to see how they'd react when he informed them of their _entire_ situation.

.

Lastly, there was Sebastian.

Ciel hadn't shared any of his plans with the elder demon, though they had known each other long enough that he was sure that his butler could make a few guesses.

.

Sebastian needed to have a little amusement. Something to entertain and engage his interest.

Having guests over always presented Sebastian with a chance for some entertainment and having known the butler for as long as Ciel had, there could be no doubt that he would find away to amuse himself. It did not take him long. Ciel quite enjoyed it as well.

Showing off his skill with knives and then walking behind the tio of wizards.

Then latter he teased the girl, taunted Ronald, and made Harry uncomfortable; all of it in less than 2 minutes. Sebastian had best be thankful that his Master gave him that opportunity.

Besides, as long as he didn't take it too far the Earl didn't care what he did.

Ciel had, after all, been wanting to do something nice for Sebastian and this seemed like a better gift then an afternoon off and a walk along the lake.

There would be opponents to terrify, tease, and kill. Sebastian may be a schedule obsessed perfectionist, but he was still a demon. He enjoyed the suffering of others. Arranging for his butler to have a little privet time with a few worthless people would be a simple thing to do and it would provide an outlet for any hostile feelings that may have built up as well as being an easy way to make the older demon happy.

.

After Ciel had eaten the cup horcrux he had felt happy, euphoric even. Now that he knew that there were two more he was resolved to get them and give the tasty treats to Sebastian.

He was aware that he'd acted a little tipsy from eating that shard of dark magic-tainted soul and he wanted to see Sebastian in a similar condition. Seeing a happy and slightly drunk Sebastian would have been worth going to this degree of effort alone.

Considering all that there was to gain from this venture, there was no reason for Ciel not to involve himself.

.

Which was why he made sure that the wizards would not be able to leave on the next part of their mission without Sebastian and himself accompanying them.

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* * *

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**(Ciel's Point Of View: Adventure Start)**

.

The village we arrived in, Hogsmeade they said it was called, looked like a dreary place. Ciel doubted that they were modern enough to have electricity.

He didn't have much time to look around though. Moments after arriving an alarm went off.

Deciding that it would be best to observe first and intervene later if needed, I backed into a nearby alley with Sebastian and commanded the shadows to hide us.

As a demon, such simple tricks are second nature to me now. I barely had to think the command and the darkness obeyed.

.

Harry pulled out his cloak and disappeared from mortal sight along with Ronald and Hermione.

I could still tell where they were though. Their scents, their heartbeats, their fear, and of course their souls. The Cloak could not hide those things from me.

.

I watched as the Death Eaters (_Honestly, could the Dark Idiot have come up with a more ridiculous and overly dramatic name for his flunky's?)_ ran around shouting and generally being useless disorganized rabble.

The young trio of wizards hurried into the alley to avoid bumping into any of the Dark Idiots minions. Sebastian and I backed up into a recessed doorway to like-wise avoid detection.

.

The lackeys eventually started to shout about setting the dementors after Harry.

I admit I was a bit curious about them.

Until today I'd never heard of such creatures and the way my new pawns described them painted quite the frightful mental image. I wanted to see if they would live up to their reputation. I also wanted to see how my 3 wizardly pawns would handle the situation.

Oh I'd save them if they needed it, but I wanted to see how they'd react when in a tight spot like this.

Would they freeze up and let themselves be killed? Would they beg for their lives or call me for help? Would they fight and give away their position to the enemy?

.

Then the dementors came.

They reminded me of The Ghost Of Christmas Future from "A Christmas Carol" except that there was more then 1, many more.

They were ominous beings and although their power could not affect me I could feel it trying and I could see the effects their presence had on the environment around us. The temperature dropped and the light seemed to dim as if being sucked away.

But even more than that, there was _something_ about them that just _got_ to me. It had nothing to do with having been a former human. It was my instinct as a demon that was reacting to their presence.

I felt hate. A strong territorial hate, like they were encroaching on my territory, my pray, by their mere existence. They disgusted me. The sight of them filled me with such revulsion that all I wanted to do was destroy them. Tear them apart and rip them to shreds. The thought of doing so filled me with an almost visceral pleasure.

It was all I could do to hold myself back and keep on observing.

.

The dementors closed in on where my pawns were cowering and just as I was thinking that I should intervene, a bright flash of light appeared, took the form of a luminous ghostly glowing stag, and charged straight through the dementors, scattering them. As it charged past the doorway where Sebastian and I lurked, I could feel a warm energy coming from it. A sensation that was full of gentle caring and a strong protectiveness.

.

Briefly, I remembered that long-ago day with Elisabeth when she demanded that we look for the legendary White Stage Of Happiness.

This was surely the stag that she had wanted to find.

.

I mentally shook myself and focused again on the present.

The dementors were fleeing as fast as they could (an extremely pleasing sight), but the so called Death Eaters had found the young wizards location and knew that they were hiding somewhere in this alley.

It was pretty obvious that my three new pawns were trapped and out-numbered.

'_Heh!_ _I better save them_.' I thought, feeling my lips curl up in an evil little smile. '_This could be fun_.'

.

I commanded the shadows enveloping us to part and stepped forward to stand between the trio of concealed young wizards and their enemies, Sebastian at my side.

.

"Sebastian, go play with the dementors. Kill all of those repellent creatures in the area. Feel free to use whatever abilities you like for this task as long as no humans see you and you clean up your mess. Return here and clean up as well. You have 10 minutes. That's an order."

.

That should keep him entertained. He's a demon after all; he should feel as disgusted by those things as I do, maybe even more so. Sebastian should be able to kill them all_ and _clean up the mess in 3 minutes or less. This way he can have some fun with the enemy's strongest forces, destroy those horrid creatures, and tidy up here so that no more of the Dark Idiots followers will be alerted.

.

Now it's time to take care of the rest of the rabble. I'll give them a little scare before finishing them off. Besides, even if they weren't my opponents they would still deserve to die. Anyone that would have dealings with those abominations deserved to die.

.

"You want to know who I am?" I asked. I gave them an evil grin and allowed my eyes to change and glow. "I guess you could say that I am just one _Hell_ of a boy."

.

It didn't take me long to finish them off. I went just slow enough in my first rush so they could see the blur of my movements, but too fast for them to do anything about it. I wanted them to understand just how helpless they were against me. The expressions on their faces did not disappoint.

In my second rush I moved too fast to be seen by human eyes. This time, however, I used my twin swords. I slit throats and severed heads. I did it so quickly that by the time I came to a stop (glowing red eye locked on the place I knew my new pawns hid), they didn't even realize that they were dead. They just stood there, still as stone, wondering where I'd vanished to. Of course that stopped mattering as soon as their necks started to spray blood and a few heads fell off. Followed, of course, moments later by the bodies they had belonged to.

.

Naturally none of the blood touched me. I had practiced this enough times to know where to stand to avoid the blood spray.

(Sebastian used to whine incessantly about the difficulties of washing blood out of clothes and being more tidy. I sharpened my skills more to shut him up then to prove I could do it. Not that I wasn't proud of my swordsmanship, it _had_ taken a lot of work to reach my current level.)

There was no blood on my swords either. They were so sharp and had been moving so fast that none of that liquid had been able to stick.

.

"Now aren't you glad that I'm here with you?" I said with a grin.

.

Neither Harry, Ronald, or Hermione answered. I could hear the racing of their hearts and smell their fear. Pawns should learn to respect their Master and a little fear would help to keep them obediently in line. It was never too early to start learning. I'd teach them to be properly grateful to me later. For now I'd make due with eliciting sympathy and guilt.

A willing pawn is the best kind after all.

.

My grin grew bigger as I paused to enjoy their fear.

I smoothly sheathed my swords, never moving my eye from where I knew the young wizards to be.

"You can come out now. You're safe and your enemies are dead. You have nothing to worry about while I'm on your side, right?"

.

I chuckled mentally to myself.

I knew they didn't believe me. I knew they had no choice but to act as if they did.

.

**(End of Ciel's Point Of View) **

.

* * *

.

"You can come out now. You're safe and your enemies are dead. You have nothing to worry about while I'm on your side, right?"

.

Harry was not sure that he believed Ciel. What he _did_ believe was that he wanted to run and hide. If Ron's harsh breathing and Hermione's fearful grip on his hand was anything to go by, then he was fairly sure that his friends were of the same opinion.

The way Ciel had killed those people, so quickly, so skillfully, was like he'd done it many many times before. Then there was the evil expression on his face and that glowing red eye. It made his skin crawl and sent shivers up and down his spine.

It was obvious that Ciel had enjoyed the killing and would be happily willing to kill some more.

.

The little blue-haired boy stared at them a moment.

_._

_How can he see us_, the three friends collectively wondered.

.

"Oh, are you _afraid_ of me?" asked Ciel, still grinning. "You know you don't_ have_ to be, right? I have helped you and saved you and been the soul of courtesy itself to you three."

The light in his eye dimed as the eye changed back to its normal brilliant sapphire color. His expression gentled as the evil grin disappeared, replaced by a small smile.

"You swore me your friendship and what kind of boy would I be if I had let that trash catch you?"

He started to slowly walk toward the invisibly cloaked trio.

"What do you suppose would have happened if I hadn't acted."

His face was now serious, but the look in his eye was creepily empty.

"Is it that I killed them? They meant you harm. They would have eventually hurt others, perhaps even your friends. Would you have preferred to take them prisoner and turn them over to the authorities? How do you suppose that would have worked out considering that You-Know-Who is currently in charge? Maybe you would have liked to just knock them out so that when they woke up they could tell the rest of their fellow scum that you were in the area?"

He stopped walking about an arm-length away from the wizards.

"Or maybe it's me your afraid of. You remember the story I told you, right? Didn't I say that I possessed dangerous powers? This shouldn't be news to you. I'm even going out of my way to help you."

Ciel put a sad expression on his face, his eye still untouched by any emotion, and raised his hand out to them.

"Please, why won't you trust me? What wrong have I done you to earn your ill regard?"

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* * *

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**I wanted to make this chapter longer, But I decided to end it here and post. I'll just put the rest of it in the next chapter.**

**Just so you all know, I've signed up for classes in September so my Updates may slow down a bit. This is the longest chapter I've written yet. Hopefully it will keep you all satisfied until I can post others.**

**I've been collaborating with _Dark Angel of Life_ (formally known as _YamiNoDarkness_) on some of her story. This is possibly what infuenced me to write such long P.O.V.'S. However I ultimately think that it was a good idea since it provided an opertunity to get my readers up to date on whats going on with Ciel. Also, many of you have been begging & screaming to know a bit more about Ciel's motives, plans, & goals. Hopefully I've answered your questions on that.**

**Please Review. (^-^)**

**~ Paxloria**

8/28/2012


	9. Ch 9: Reaction

**Disclaimer: I don't own KUROSITSUJI or HARRY POTTER.**

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**Chapter 9**

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**(Hermione's Point Of View)**

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Everything Ciel had said was true, and yet…

She didn't trust him. Her instincts screamed a warning about Ciel that could not be ignored.

However, truth was truth.

He'd told them that he had dangerous abilities back when they'd first met. He'd even demonstrated the truth to them about that fact. Even though he didn't have to tell them anything, and the memories were obviously painful, He'd explained about his past.

Ciel had been very open with them about everything, plus he'd made sure that they had a good meal before leaving.

.

She didn't understand why he had been so insistent about them swearing friendship with him or why he had wanted to go with them. Nor could she understand just how and why it was that he was able to destroy the horcrux the way he had.

She had already known that he was dangerous and now she had just seen a few of his other skills.

.

She strongly suspected that Ciel Phantomhive was up to something; but whatever that might be, the young earl was not their enemy. If he was he'd had more than enough opportunities already to harm them.

.

And truth was truth.

They owed him their lives. If he hadn't been there to save them, they'd be dead now. A life-debt wasn't something that a wizard could ignore.

.

The incident between Harry and the traitor Peter Petigrew was a good example.

Harry had once saved Peter's life. As a result, a few days ago when they got captured and then managed to escape, Peter had been literally unable to attack them or stop them, no matter how badly he had wanted to, even knowing that he would die if he let them get away.

.

And now they owed a similar debt to Ciel.

It was too bad that a debt of this type wasn't something that you could choose to ignore.

.

Besides that, they had pledged him their friendship. Friends don't abandon friends, even if the person in question is a bit scary.

Also, they couldn't risk getting on Ciel's bad side and they needed his help to destroy the other horcuxes.

.

Hermione took a deep breath, pushed back her fear, let go of Harry's hand, and stepped forward and out from under the cloak of invisibility.

She reached out and clasped Ciel's hand with her own.

"Thank you for saving us. I thought we were dead for sure."

.

Ciel grinned (a nicer one then earlier) and was about to reply as Harry & Ron also came out from under the cloak, when the door of the doorway that the boy and his butler had been lurking in earlier suddenly opened, spilling golden light into the dismal alley way.

A voice called out, "Potter, in here, quick," and the four of them hurried over and entered.

The door was immediately slammed closed behind them.

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* * *

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**Thus ends my shortest chapter. The next one will be longer.**

9/6/2012

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	10. Ch10: Matters Discussed

**Disclaimer: I don't own ****K**_**U**_**R**_**O**_**S**_**H**_**I**_**T**_**S**_**U**_**J**_**I**_** or ****H**_**A**_**R**_**R**_**Y **_**P**_**O**_**T**_**T**_**E**_**R****.**

**The last chapter was my shortest yet. This will be longer.**

**This chapter felt like it took **_**forever**_** to write. Partly it was research, partly it was rearranging the text along with some re-writes, and partly it was laziness. If some of you have sharp eyes and a good memory, then you should recognize a few quotes and paraphrases. For some reason I had lots of trouble getting this to read smooth and natural, you get what I mean right. Hope you all like it.**

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**-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-**

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**Chapter 10**

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The tall figure quickly drew the locks and turned to face the 4 children.

"Get upstairs quick. Get under the cloak and hide. I'll distract the Death Eaters."

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"Sir," the little blue haired boy with the eye-patch said, "thank you for helping us, but you don't need to worry. The Death Eaters are all gone." The boy smiled, "Are you a friend of Harry's?"

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The children watched the man closely. Aside from his flustered attitude, no doubt caused by his current panic, he had long stringy, wire-gray hair, a beard, and behind the dirty lenses of his small spectacles, his eyes were bright blue.

.

"Eh, gone? Why would they be gone?" The tall man asked. "I heard all that noise and looked out the window and saw Death Eaters running around, then the dementors came and I knew someone was in for it. Then I saw a stag Patronus come charging out of the alley and down the street. Everyone knows that Harry Potter's Patronus is a stag. "

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"Really?" the boy commented, "I knew Harry was famous, but this level of popularity seems rather inconvenient."

.

"I'm sure it is," the man replied, "especially at times like this. Not much business now, what with Hogsmeade under martial law and being run by Death Eaters. I'd just changed to turn in early for the night when I realized Harry must be here. Good thing I dressed quickly and found you kids before the Death Eaters did. What they'd do to you if you lot got caught doesn't bare think of. Now get upstairs and hide while I go out and distract them. They must have seen the Patronus, same as me, and you can bet they'll be here any second."

.

Ciel, Hermione, Harry, and Ron realized that the man didn't know the Death Eaters_ had_ found them, but were already dead. He hadn't stepped outside and the pile of bodies wasn't immediately visible from the doorway since the corpses were further back, closer to the alley's entrance.

The young demon could tell that the trio of teen wizards were about to explain what had happened, and acted to beat them to it. Whoever this man was, he might be useful later and it wouldn't do to give his first potential contact in the Wizarding World a bad first impression of himself.

The little Earl shot a quelling glare at the young wizards that instantly halted any thought of speaking.

Ciel then grab onto the man's wrist and gazed up into the stranger's sky blue eyes with his own bright sapphire blue one.

"I told you, there's no need for worry. Sebastian is taking care of everything."

.

The man tugged at his arm and was a little surprised at the strength of the boys hold on him. He stopped trying to pull away and calmed down a bit from his earlier panic, enough to finally listen to what the boy had been trying to say.

"Who's Sebastian, and for that matter, who are you?"

.

"Please forgive my rudeness at the late introduction. I am Ciel Phantomhive. Sebastian is my butler and guardian. These three here," Ciel said, gesturing to Harry, Ronald, and Hermione, "have an important mission to complete and I decided to help them. As both my guardian and a responsible adult, Sebastian couldn't allow children to go alone into certain danger, so he came with us for the sake of protection. He's very skilled so there's no need for concern."

.

"You're a posh one aren't you. Well, if this Sebastian is looking after you four then why isn't he here now? Oh, and I'm Aberforth, barman and owner of the Hog's Head Inn." Aberforth said, gesturing vaguely around at the hallway they were standing in with his free hand.

.

Harry recognized the name and was startled into speaking.

"Aberforth? Wait, your Dumbledore's brother aren't you?"

.

Ciel knew who Dumbledore was from Harry's earlier re-telling of events. The late Headmaster of the wizard's school, Hogwarts, and leader of the group that opposed Voldemort, the Order Of The Phoenix. He had made a strong impression on Harry and after hearing the boys' story Ciel had decided to view the man as his pawn's former master.

Ciel also knew, from his own experiences, that innkeeper's and barmen were useful people to know. They had a way of meeting interesting people and hearing all sorts of interesting things. This Aberforth would definitely be a useful person to know.

"It seems to me," Ciel remarked, "that we all have a lot to talk about. This hallway hardly seems like the best place to chat so why don't we follow Mister Aberforth's earlier suggestion and move this conversation upstairs?"

.

* * *

.

**(In An Upstairs Room)**

.

The room they were shown to was large, but comfortably cozy. It had one queen sized bed, a wooden table with three matching chairs, a cream upholstered sofa, polished coffee-table, and two comfortable looking upholstered chairs in the same cream color as the sofa.

The most notable thing though was the large portrait of a young girl that hung above the fireplace mantelpiece. The fire was the main source of light and warmth for the room, aside from a few flickering oil lamps scattered irregularly about.

The group arranged themselves around the sitting area near the fireplace.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat on the sofa.

Ciel chose the soft chair to their right, facing the fireplace.

The other cushioned chair on his right, facing the sofa, was left empty for their host. The low coffee-table in the middle of these seats was likewise bare.

Aberforth left to get them all something to drink before starting their little talk and as soon as the barman had left the room Ciel turned to the three wizards.

"I don't want you mentioning what you saw me do. Do not say anything to him or to anyone else that might make people think badly of me or my butler."

.

"Why not?" asked Ronald. "It was bloody impressive the way you killed those Death Eaters and I don't think he'd mind what happened to them."

.

"That is my point exactly." Ciel replied, "it was, indeed, 'bloody impressive' and if people know what I can do, how comfortable around me do you think they would be? They'd start to wonder what else I can do and how I acquired my skills. As a newcomer in the Wizarding World I can already be considered a suspicious person, especially with that Dark Idiot and his Death Eater minions running around and putting everyone on edge."

Ciel leaned forward and turned the focus of his attention to Harry, directing his next remarks at him.

"People are angry and afraid. They will want someone to blame their troubles on so that they will not have to deal with them themselves. Harry, you know what that's like right? I remember you telling me how everyone reacted when you, the prophesied hero & savior, tried to warn people that You-Know-Who had returned. Everyone was scared that it might be true and didn't want to believe you. The Ministry Of Magic and the media did the best they could to discredit and turn public opinion against you. In an instant you went from being the most admired boy in your entire magical society to being thought of as a liar and considered the most hated boy in your world. Even after everyone learned the truth no one wanted to be seen associating with you."

Leaning back again, he regarded them carefully, watching their reactions.

These three were close friends and he could see his words had struck home. They remembered how hard everything had been, for Harry and, by association as his friends, themselves.

"I don't want my début into your society to happen under a cloud of distrust. I'd like people to get to know me first, give me a fair chance, before deciding against me. Surely you can understand that? Besides, you all swore to keep my secrets. Revealing how scary and dangerous I am is a secret I want kept."

.

The young wizards exchanged glances and nodded in agreement, but they had one question and Hermione was the first to voice it.

"What about the bodies? They'll be found sooner rather than later and then there'll be questions. If we can't talk about what you did then what are we supposed to say? It's not the sort of thing we can hide."

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The little Earl smiled.

"You don't need to say anything. Nothing at all; and if anyone asks, just say you don't know what happened."

.

This time Harry was the one who replied.

"No one will believe that. As soon as someone sees all that blood and the sliced up bodies it will be obvious that something happened and that we were involved."

.

The Earl just kept on smiling.

"That's where you're wrong. There won't be any bodies or blood. No bodies, no proof. Sebastian will be back soon. He'll clean up the mess, just like I ordered him to."

.

The teenaged wizards were not reassured by this remark at all. Unease was writ large on their faces as they thought about what Ciel had said.

The way he'd said it gave them the feeling that Sebastian had done those sorts of things before, a lot.

Before they could think of anything to say, though, the door opened and Aberforth came in with a tray holding five large mugs of hot apple cider.

He set the tray on the coffee-table, picked one of the mugs for himself, and sat down in the remaining chair as the four youths each grabbed steaming mugs of their own.

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* * *

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"Now," Aberforth demanded gruffly, looking from one to the other of them, "You bloody fools, what were you thinking coming here?"

.

There was a moment of silence as the youths thought about what to say.

.

Ciel felt the tingle of Sebastian's presence and knew that he had returned.

He glanced at the door and saw his butler enter, silent as a shadow, his eyes sparkling with more mischievous life and amusement then Ciel could remember seeing there in years. The smile gracing those thin lips was, for once, genuine.

The butler was clearly in a good mood. If he had been anyone else his amusement would have overcome his composure.

Of course, as a Phantomhive servant, Sebastian was expected to be above such things.

It was rather nice, though, to see the corners of the elder demons lips twitching. No doubt the dementors had wished for death long before it came.

The young demon mentally chuckled, it was good to have the old Sebastian back instead of the dreary automaton he'd become in recent years.

The butler moved to a suitably dark corner of the room, just out of range of the lamps. From there he could he could watch and lurk.

(Sebastian may deny it, but Ciel knew his butler loved to lurk. Eliciting uncomfortable reactions was one of Sebastian's favorite entertainments and lurking was one of the demons most effective methods.)

.

Ciel turned his attention back to the matter at hand. He knew his butler would stay unobtrusively back behind him, just out of the dim lamp light, until a suitable moment came to make his presence known. There was no need to watch him.

.

Just then Harry started to speak.

"We need to get into Hogwarts."

.

"Don't be stupid, boy," said Aberforth, "the whole area is no better than a death trap where you're concerned. What you've got to do is get as far away from here as you can. It can't be done by night, you heard what happens if anyone moves outdoors during darkness: Caterwauling Charm's go off, they'll be onto you like fly's on fruit. Wait for daybreak when curfew lifts. Then you can put your Cloak back on and set out on foot. If you head up into the mountains you-"

.

"We're not leaving," Harry interrupted. "We've got something important to do at the school."

.

"Besides," added Ciel, "There's no way the five of us will fit under the cloak."

.

"Five of you?" asked Aberforth.

.

"Remember? I told you about Sebastian."

Ciel gestured and his butler stepped forward into the lamplight.

.

Ron, thoroughly creeped out at Sebastian seeming to appear from nowhere, blurted, "Where'd he come from?"

.

Ciel replied with just a hint of smugness.

"He returned just a few moments ago. I guess you just didn't notice."

.

"But how'd he get in here without anyone seeing?" Ron persisted.

.

"Hang on a moment now."

Aberforth said suspiciously, blue eyes glinting from over the rims of his spectacles as he tried to look down his nose at the newcomer from his seated position.

"So you're this boy's butler and guardian are you? What were you thinking letting these kids come here? How did you know to come here and where have you been anyway? Not much of a guardian, leaving kids alone out there."

.

"To answer the questions, as a butler it is my job to quietly follow my master like a shadow and be as unnoticeable as the furniture. If I couldn't do that then what kind of butler would I be?"

"And I can assure you," added Ciel, smiling, "that Sebastian is simply one _hell_ of a butler."

"It is a matter of aesthetics." The butler finished, once more smiling his bright, overly friendly smile. "On the other matter, how could I stop them? They were quite determined to come and I could not abandon My Master."

Then Ciel again took his turn in the conversation.

"As my butler, Sebastian will follow me anywhere."

"Indeed," Sebastian continued, "there is no place that My Lord can go that I cannot find him."

"He will never leave my side."

"I will accompany him anywhere, wherever he wishes me to follow."

"We will be together forever."

.

"Does that satisfy you Sir?" Sebastian asked his young lords host, neatly avoiding having to answer the last part of the man's question. Then he bowed and enquired, "And please forgive the late introduction. I am Sebastian Michaelis, butler to the Phantomhive household. Who might you be Sir? I should like to thank you for your hospitality."

.

"Heh! You two sure get along well."

Aberforth didn't stand or offer to shake hands. He just nodded his head in reply to the bow and answered sternly.

"I'm Aberforth Dumbledore, owner of the Hogs Head Inn. Just call me Aberforth. Can't say as I think much of you Mr. Michaelis. What kind guardian gives in so easily to dangerous demands from his ward? Your boys' parents can't possibly approve of his coming here. You should have locked him up; these three as well. Keeping kids safe is every adults responsibility."

.

"Indeed Mr. Aberforth," Sebastian replied, "you are correct. However, My Lord's parents were killed quite some time ago and the young master is now the head of his family."

Sebastian then gave Aberforth a look tinged with irony.

"Also, had I made such an attempt they would only have plotted to come here without me. I thought it best that I accompany them incase my services should be need. I understand that they have undertaken an important mission. I highly doubt I could have said anything that would have changed their minds. And since My Master wishes to support Mr. Potter's endeavors there is nothing I can do about it."

.

Harry chose that moment to interrupt.

He knew how adults could be. Time was running out and if he didn't do something they could end up arguing for hours.

"Please Aberforth, you don't understand. There isn't much time. We've got to get into the castle. Dumbledore – I mean, your brother Albus – wanted us to-"

.

"My brother wanted a lot of things." Aberforth said.

.

The firelight made the grimy lenses of Aberforth's glasses momentarily opaque, a bright flat white. Harry was briefly reminded of the eyes of a giant spider he had once seen in the Forbidden Forest that surrounded the castle-like school.

.

"People," said Aberforth, "had a habit of getting hurt while he was carrying out his grand plans. You get away from this school, Potter, and out of the country if you can. Forget my brother and his clever schemes. He's gone where none of this can hurt him, and you don't owe him anything."

.

"You don't understand," said Harry again.

.

"Oh don't I?" said Aberforth quietly.

"You don't think I understand my own brother better than you?"

.

"I didn't mean that," said Harry, whose brain felt sluggish with exhaustion and mental stress. "It's. . . he left me a job to do."

.

"Did he now?" Aberforth inquired. "Nice job, I hope? Pleasant? Easy? Sort of thing you'd expect an unqualified wizard kid to be able to do without overstretching themselves?"

.

Ron gave a rather grim laugh. Hermione was looking strained. Ciel and Sebastian just listened quietly with faces blanked of expression.

.

"I-it's not easy, no," said Harry. "But I've got to –"

.

"'Got to'? Why '_got to_'? He's dead, isn't he?" Aberforth said harshly. "Let it go, boy, before you follow him! Save yourself!"

.

"I can't."

.

"Why not?"

.

"I –-I …"

Harry was feeling overwhelmed. He could see Aberforth's point. After everything he and his friends had been through Harry wanted very much to agree with the barman and forget about this whole mess, but he knew that was impossible.

Deciding that defensiveness wouldn't accomplish anything he went on the attack instead.

"But your fighting too, you're in the Order Of The Phoenix -–"

.

"I was," Aberforth interrupted. "The Order Of The Phoenix is finished. You-Know-Who's won, it's over, and anyone who's pretending deferent's kidding themselves. It'll never be safe for you here, Potter, so go abroad and go into hiding. Save yourself and best take these two with you." he said, gesturing at Ron and Hermione.

"I don't know about blue boy here," Said Aberforth, indicating Ciel, "but if he's not a known associate of yours he might be able to tough it out. You three can't."

.

Ciel, offended at being thought of as a child and called 'boy,' decided to join the conversation. Speaking with no small amount of heated irritation, he said, "Do not call me 'boy.' There is absolutely nothing childish about me except my looks. I have suffered through a living hell that you, quite frankly cannot begin to imagine. I am not a child and I do not want to be treated as one."

He glared at Aberforth and then continued speaking in a somewhat calmer tone.

"While I am not a known acquaintance of either of these three, and we have only just met, I am lending them my support and assistance. That may not seem like much to you, but I have trained for many years on how to fight and Sebastian's combat skills are second to none. I am more than capable of protecting myself and you can be certain that I am intelligent enough not to ally with a lost cause. If all goes as expected then the Dark Idiot will be permanently dead by tomorrow, possibly sooner. That is the mission that we are undertaking. You can either help us or get out of our way."

.

Harry couldn't help but be a little impressed by Ciel's speech. The authoritative way he spoke denied all possibility of failure and cut through any further discussions about running away.

Picking up where he'd left off, Harry said, "That's what I've been trying to tell you. There's away to defeat You-Know-Who once and for all. _That's_ the job Dumbledore left me. It's got to be me, Dumbledore explained it all and—"

.

"Oh, did he now?" asked Aberforth, turning his attention back to Harry. "And did he tell you everything, was he honest with you?"

.

Harry wanted with all his heart to say 'Yes,' but somehow he just couldn't. Aberforth seemed to know what he was thinking.

.

"I knew my brother. Albus Dumbledore learned secrecy at our mother's knee. Secrets and lies, that's how we grew up, and Albus… he was a natural."

The old man's eyes traveled to the painting of the girl over the mantelpiece. It was, Harry now realized, the only picture in the room. There were no pictures of Albus Dumbledore, nor of anyone else.

.

"Aberforth?" asked Hermione a bit timidly. "The painting, that girl has the same eyes as your brother and you. Might she be –"

.

"Yes," Aberforth interrupted tersely, "Not many people knew that we had any family other than our parents. But we had one other relative, a little sister named Ariana."

.

Even by the golden-orange light of the fire it was clear that Hermione had blushed with embarrassment ant bringing up an obviously uncomfortable topic.

.

"She thought the world of Albus, she did. Well, so did plenty of people, you lot to I expect."

.

"Professor Dumbledore cared a lot about Harry," said Ron. "He helped Harry a lot, us too for that matter. He cared about people very much."

.

"Did he now?" said Aberforth. "Funny thing how many of the people my brother cared very much about ended up in a worse state then if he'd left'em well alone."

.

"That do you mean?" asked Ciel, curious to know more about the man who had had such a considerable effect on the denizens of Wizarding World.

.

"When my sister was 6 years old she was attacked by muggle boys that had seen her doing magic. No witch or wizard can control their magic that young. She couldn't do magic tricks for them or show them how she did what she did, and when they started to get scared and angry with her she couldn't defend herself. They got carried away and messed her up bad. She never recovered."

.

Hermione's eyes were huge in the firelight and Ron looked slightly sick. Harry, Ciel, and Sebastian simply sat and continued to listen. They sensed that there was a lot more to this story.

Aberforth stood up, tall as his late brother, and suddenly terrible in his anger and the intensity of his pain.

"It destroyed her, what they did. She was never right again. She wouldn't use magic, but she couldn't get rid of it; it turned inward and drove her mad, it exploded out of her when she couldn't control it, and at times she was strange and dangerous. But mostly she was sweet and scared and harmless."

He paused a moment to collect himself, then continued.

"Our father went after the ones that did it and attacked them. He got caught and locked up in Azkaban prison for it. He couldn't tell anyone why he'd done it because if the Ministry Of Magic ever found out about Ariana they'd consider her a threat to the International Statute Of Secrecy, what with her being unbalanced like she was and magic exploding out when she couldn't keep it in any longer. They'd have locked her up for the rest of her life at that special St. Mungo's Hospital of theirs."

He sighed and sat down.

"We had to keep her safe and quiet. We moved away and told everyone that she was ill. Mother, Albus, and me looked after her and tried to keep her calm and happy. I was her favorite, not Albus. I spent the most time with her and cared for her. _He_ had other interests. He had _ambitions_, wanted to be one of the great wizards of the age. He'd sit in his room reading his books, counting his prizes, and keeping up on his correspondence with 'the most notable magical names of the day.'"

Aberforth sneered that last line like it was the most detestable thing he'd ever heard.

"Brilliant wizard that he was, he didn't want to be bothered with her. Family was never his priority."

He paused to pull off his small glasses, cleaning them on his sleeve. He stared down at the motions of his hands as if it was the most important thing in the world… or as if he couldn't bear to look anyone in the face in case he saw pity there.

"When Ariana was fourteen there was an accident. She lost control and mother died. The task of caring for her fell even harder onto us as the last of her family. It was a big come down for Mr. Brilliant. Can't go off traveling the world and winning prizes at school when you have to stay home to take care of a half mad sister and keep her from blowing up the house every other day. I said I didn't care about education and that I'd stay home to take care of her, that way he could go off and live the life he wanted."

Aberforth sighed and took a large sip from his mug of cider.

"Albus was my older brother and he felt some responsibility as the head of the family. He said education was important and that _he'd_ take over for mother and I should finish school, Ha! What a disaster that was."

Bitterness laced every word.

"Oh things worked out ok for a few weeks. We both decided to take a month off after the funeral to think and get everything sorted out. Everything was fine… until _he_ showed up."

Now a positively dangerous look crept over Aberforth's face.

"I take it you lot have heard of the dark wizard Grindelwald. Albus made quite the name for himself by defeating him, but what few know is that back in the day those two were close friends. Back then Albus was pleased to meet him, another genius boy, a magical and intellectual equal that was just as talented as himself. Taking care of Ariana took a back seat to all the plans they started to hatch. Scheming for power and glory, that's what they wanted. Planed to go looking for the legendary _Hallows_ and to create a new Wizarding order. What did it matter if one young girl got neglected, Albus was working _for the greater good_."

He took a deep breath before continuing on. Anger, guilt, and shame passed across his face with every word.

"I couldn't stand it anymore and told them so. Whatever they wanted to do, they should either give it up or leave for good. Ariana couldn't be moved so there was no way Albus could travel and keep her hidden. Grindelwald didn't like that. He said that stupid boys shouldn't get in the way of his betters. Said that once they took over world, lead the wizards out of hiding, and taught the Muggles their place there'd be no need to keep her hidden away. The argument got heated. I pulled my wand and he pulled his. Albus pulled his wand and tried to stop us and before we knew it the three of us were dueling. All the lights and noise started to upset Ariana. I think she wanted to help but didn't know how. One thing lead to another and… I don't know which of us did it but suddenly she was dead."

There was a pause.

"Gone," croaked Aberforth. "My sweet little sister gone forever."

.

"I'm so… I'm so sorry for what happened." Ron whispered

.

"That must have been so awful." Commiserated Hermione.

.

"Worst day of my life is what it was and you can guess what happened after that. Grindelwald ran, apparently he'd had some trouble with the law before and didn't want more. Albus was free at last, free of his burdensome sister and went off to be famous. I became a bar and innkeeper."

.

"No," Harry said, "He was never free. I know because the night he died he drank a potion that drove him out of his mind and made him suffer through the worst torments of his life. The things he said, the way he cried, he relived that day. The day Gindelwald attacked his brother and he lost his sister. He thought he was back there. He was never free, Aberforth, and he really did care."

.

Ron and Hermione stared at Harry. He'd never talked about what happened the day Dumbledore died, and he'd been so broken up about what happened that they didn't dare ask about it.

.

Meanwhile, Aberforth seemed lost in thoughts of his own. After a long pause he said, "How can you be so sure about that, Potter? Albus may have had a guilty conscience about what happened back then, but don't be so confident about his 'caring' where others are concerned. '_For the greater good_' was Albus's favorite saying. He didn't mind stepping on a few people if he thought the goal was worth the sacrifice. How can you be sure that my brother wasn't more interested in _the greater good_ then he was in you? How do you know that you aren't dispensable, just like my little sister?"

.

A shard of ice seemed to pierce Harry's heart at the thought.

.

"I don't believe it," said Hermione. "Dumbledore loved Harry."

.

"Why didn't he tell him to hide then?" demanded Aberforth. "Why didn't he say, 'Take care of yourself and survive, here's how' or if not hide, then to at least get him ready earlier on. He could have placed the boy with a wizard family and had him training in magic sooner. Even if he was too young to use his magic properly he could have still studied the books about it. Maybe done some survival or combat training. There's times when a good solid punch can be more effective than a wand. I've broken up enough drunken fights to know that. A little preparation might have made things a bit easier, isn't that right Potter?"

He gave Harry a piercing look.

"I heard you were raised by muggles. There's even a rumor that they were the worst sort of muggles, the type that hate and fear magic. Growing up in a place like that, not knowing why strange things kept happening around you, it can't have been pleasant. Is there any truth in that?"

.

Harry looked away. He couldn't deny any of it.

.

Aberforth nodded, "That's what I thought. Tell me, Potter, when he found out how bad it was for you back home did he ever try arranging for you to live elsewhere, with people that might actually like or support you?"

.

Before Harry could think of an answer, Ciel spoke.

''All of this is irrelevant."

.

Everyone turned to look at him. He'd been so still and quiet, and they'd been so caught up in the drama of Aberforth's words, that the little blue-haired boy had been temporarily forgotten.

.

Ciel had listened carefully to everything that had been said and he felt that he now understood the situation.

"Whether or not your late brother was raising Harry to be a suitably loyal, but not too strongly self-reliant, pawn does not matter. If he really cared about Harry or planed to dispose of him if he ever outlived his usefulness, also does not matter. What occurred in the past cannot be changed and, as you say, your brother is dead. Nothing can change that. What matters is the present and the future."

.

"Here now, don't you think you're being a bit harsh?" Said Ronald, fair skin flushed with anger. "Besides, you never even met Dumbledore. Until today you'd never even known us."

.

"But that doesn't make my words any less true, distasteful though you find them." Ciel replied.

He turned his attention back to Aberforth and Harry.

"What is done is done. You can treasure or hate your memories. That is your choice. You can spend the rest of your life trying to guess the motives of a dead man. That is also your choice. Accept it and move forward. You chose your path and, right or wrong, Harry chose his. Events have been set in motion and Harry has a mission to complete. Right now Harry only has two choices: to fight or to die. If he is to fight, now is the time. This is his last, best, chance. There will be no other's. If he abandons this path and starts running, he will be running the rest of his life. That life will not be long and at the end he will die a coward's death, full of regrets, wishing he'd at least tried."

He fixed Aberforth with a cold, piercing stare.

"Harry will not run. There comes a time when, scared or not, you _have_ to make a stand and fight. It is better than doing nothing and watching while all you love suffer and die. A life that is lived in fear cannot truly be called living. Is it right for one so young to get involved with such dangerous things? No it is not. But the world is cruel and the sacrifices that have already been made should not be wasted. This task is a thing that must be done. He has gone too far, been through too much, to turn back now."

.

The boy's one eyed stare as he gazed at the old barman seemed to pierce him to the core. Aberforth felt as if his very soul was being examined, all his doubts and fears laid bare. It was not a good feeling.

.

"Mr. Aberforth, a person who will not fight against an insane, murderous, would-be tyrant when he has the chance might as well roll over and die. Success or failure, this is the night that will decide it all. Will you help us or will you get out of our way and let us do what we have to do?"

.

". . . "

"Fine, if you all feel this strongly about, I'll help you. There's only one safe way left into Hogwarts now. All the other entrances and secret passageways are being watched."

.

"Thank you," said Harry.

.

"Don't thank me," replied Aberforth. "I feel like I'm sending you to your deaths."

.

"From the beginning I knew that could happen." Harry said, his voice calm and strong. "But that didn't mean I was going to give up. Listen to me Aberforth, before your brother died he found out You-Know-Who's weakness. The one certain way that he could be defeated once and for all and he passed that knowledge onto me. If I fight him, death is not a certainty. I have a chance to stop him. I'm prepared to do this or die trying."

.

"Is it _'for the greater good_,' Potter?"

.

"No," interrupted Ciel. "It is because this is necessary. And I will thank you to stop throwing that repulsive phrase around. I detest it."

.

"What's eating you?" Ron asked.

.

Ciel glanced over at Ronald. Apparently the red-headed boy had gotten over some of his earlier fear of the little Earl, enough, in any case, to start talking to him normally. He doubted this calm attitude would last. However, there was no reason not to answer the freckle-faced boys' question.

"I dislike that phrase, and similar words to their affect, because only two types of people use them: hero's and hypocrites. A hero that speaks those types of words is usually going to throw their life away. A hypocrite will lie and use those types of words to justify what they do. I especially hate the later type. They will do anything, discredit and slaughter innocent families, kidnap and torture children, burn hundreds to death and cause the suffering of countless people, and all the while justifying their sins by saying '_it's for the greater good_' when the truth is that they have a goal and will do anything to accomplish it. Most of them refuse to even admit the truth of their ambition to themselves."

Ciel sneered, remembering the insane angel that ruined his life over a century ago.

"A lot of them even relish the pain they cause and justify their actions all by saying that _it's for the sake of a new clean world _or _for the great cause_ or, as is the case now, _for the greater good_. I bet the Dark Idiot has done all he did and justified himself and his followers in the same way. Speaking as the victim of just that sort of thinking, I believe that garbage of that sort should just admit the truth and accept the consequences."

.

Ron now regretted asking. He'd just remembered the story that Ciel had told back at the mansion earlier that day.

.

Aberforth remained fixed to his chair and gazed contemplatively at Ciel.

"It sounds," he said slowly as he rose from the chair and walked over to the fireplace, "as if you've had a rough time of it."

.

Ciel's smile was without a trace of humor.

"The world is a cruel place, Mr. Aberforth, to those who cannot defend themselves. I have trained since then to ensure that that will never again be the case for me."

.

Aberforth looked at them all a moment longer before turning to the portrait of Ariana.

"You know what to do," he said.

.

At these words, the girl began to move. She smiled, turned, walked away, and vanished down a dark tunnel that seemed to have appeared behind her.

.

"Er –- what -?"began Ron.

.

"Remember what I told you," said Aberforth. "There's only one safe way to Hogwarts now and it's through here."

.

"But what. . ." said Hermione, frowning up at the picture.

.

A tiny white dot had had appeared at the end of the painted tunnel. As it grew larger they could see that it was Ariana returning. When she resumed her previous position on the portrait, the whole thing swung forward on the wall like a little door and the entrance to the real tunnel was revealed.

.

Aberforth crossed the room over to the table, grabbed one of the sturdy wooden chairs, placed it next to mantelpiece, and turned to face his guests.

"I'll go first, you lot follow me."

He climbed up the chair then clambered up onto the mantel (which was apparently wider then it looked) and entered the tunnel.

.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks.

"I'll go next." Said Ron.

"Then me." Said Hermione.

.

It was Harry's turn next. But as he started toward the chair he suddenly stopped and turned to Ciel.

"Things are going to get hectic soon and this might be my last chance to say it; so Ciel, thank you for everything."

.

Looking a bit startled, Ciel said, "What?"

.

"Thank you. Even though you really scared us back in that alley, if you hadn't been there we'd have died. You saved us. And a little while ago when you talked about choosing to treasure memories and not worrying about the motives of a dead man… thank you for that. Dumbledore meant a lot to me and I didn't want to doubt him anymore. Your words made me see that I don't have to. I can just treasure the man I knew and not worry about if it was the _real_ him or not."

.

"You're welcome Harry, although you don't have to thank me." Said Ciel, "I agreed to come with you and help back before we left my mansion."

.

"No, you've been a big help." Harry said, "We couldn't have got this far without you. I also wanted to thank you for convincing Aberforth. I don't think there's anything I could have said that would have convinced him to help us."

.

"I'm sure you would have found away. You're pretty determined to do this after all." Ciel said, smiling.

.

"Maybe, maybe not. I just wanted to thank you."

Harry then climbed up onto the mantelpiece and entered the tunnel.

.

Behind him, the two demons grinned, their eyes momentarily glowing red. Then they followed Harry into the tunnel, staying close behind him.

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**And that's the end of the chapter.**

**Whoa! That was a long one. According to my computer, this is 22 pages long. Eeeek! It's longer then my last long chapter. Personally, I think that 6 to 10 pages is a good chapter length; but there was a lot to cover and no good place to end it sooner. **

**Those of you familiar with the book this chapter is based on might have noticed that I left some things out or changed a few other things. The reason is simple. I'm trying to keep my story simple. I saw no reason to bring up stuff that wouldn't be immediately relevant. So that stuff about the mirror, Dolby, Rita, the book, and a few other things got left out. If you want to know, then read the book or watch the movies. You can understand my story just fine without them (I hope).**

**Gah! I'm tired. It makes me cranky. Anyway, today is the second day of school for me. I'm writing before I have to leave. My writings going to slowdown even more, but I want you to know that I'm not giving up on this story. When I get a lot of reviews it makes me feel appreciated. It gives me the push I need to keep going, despite what other things I should be doing.**

**So, all of you, if you liked what you read, then please review.**

**Let me know if this has turned out as well as I'd hoped it would or if there's something that might make it even better.**

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9/26/2012

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	11. Ch11: Too Much Talk

**Disclaimer: I don't own KUROSHITSUJI or HARRY POTTER.**

**FINALLY it's done!**

**I know it's been a while since the last chapter. Hopefully this chapter will make up for that. I hope you all like it as much as you did the earlier ones.**

**Also the book capitalized the "H" in Horcrux. Personally, I don't care if it's capitalized or lower-cased. I'll probably end up switching randomly between the two. I know that some people may be bothered by that. Just grit your teeth and bear it. What matters is that you can understand the story & plot without any trouble and I tried to avoid as many mistakes as I could.**

**Arrrgghhh! That sounds means:**

**I'm in a bad mood at this moment. Oh well, stuff happens and you just gotta' deal.**

**I know a lot of you are bothered by the long wait, but it couldn't be helped. This chapter just did NOT want to be written. But since it's here you can tell that I didn't abandon it and I pushed on regardless. Something about it just dissatisfies me though. Oh well.**

**Hope you like it better than I do.**

**Please review.**

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_**Chapter**__**Intro:**_

_**Skip This Part If You're Familiar with Hogwarts School, It's Founders, & It's Houses**_

Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft & Wizardry is a place for children who were born with a talent for magic to gather together and learn how to control and use their abilities. The school was founded by four mighty magicians who recognized the importance of having a safe place for children to train in magic without risking danger to themselves or to anyone else.

The founder's names were Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin.

When they built the enchanted castle that would become one of the greatest magic schools in the world, they decided that students should be divided into House's, or dorms as they are often called. Each house was under the direct rule of a founder and took their name and symbol from that founder.

Ravenclaw was the eagle, Gryffindor was the lion, Slytherin was the snake, and Hufflepuff was the badger.

Each Hogwarts student wears the crest of the House to which they belong sewn onto their uniform to avoid any confusion about House affiliation.

Students come to Hogwarts upon reaching 11 years of age and are sorted into the House's to which they will belong for the duration of their education by means of an enchanted wizards' hat that looks into their mind to discover just what sort of person they are. The "Sorting Hat," as it is called, will also take its' wearers preferences (if any) into account when making its determination. Though the Sorting Hat is said to posses some other abilities, the matter has never been thoroughly investigated.

In any case, this system of organization has worked so well that the tradition persists even to this day.

For all that it is a famous and well populated school that has stood for many centuries, it still possesses secrets that have either been long forgotten or have yet to be discovered. Many student have explored the school hoping to learn its' secrets.

One such re-discovered secret is the Room Of Requirement.

It is to here that a certain secret passage from the Hog's Head Inn in Hogsmeade exited.

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**Chapter 11 – Too Much Talk**

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They immerged from the secret passage into a cavernous stone room.

This was fortunate because it was occupied by several dozen children ranging from eleven year olds to nineteen year olds. Clearly, these were some of the students of the wizard's school.

They did not look as though they had been enjoying their school life, and the atmosphere of the room was in no way cheerful.

That changed, however, the moment the moment Harry was spotted.

Excitement and hope filled the eyes of everyone who turned to see the new arrivals.

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The room exploded with exuberant shouts.

"HARRY!"

"It's Potter, it's POTTER!"

"Ron!"

"Hermione!"

There then followed a confusion of hands and faces as the new arrivals were engulfed, hugged, pounded on the back, their hair ruffled, and their hands shaken by what seemed to be well over twenty people.

Sebastian and Ciel were quickly introduced to Seamus Finnigan, Lavender Brown, Terry Boot, Ernie Macmillian, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, both the Patil twins, and everyone else there.

A normal human would have found it a near impossible challenge to remember all the names and the faces they belonged to. A genius human would have found it more than a little difficult. However demons are very good with details and naturally have a perfect memory, so the Earl and his butler had no trouble in memorizing everyone's identity.

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"Okay, okay, calm down!" Aberforth shouted, "Keep crowd'n in like that and you'll crush them."

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Everyone backed up a bit, but though the shouting lessened the chattering didn't. Everyone had questions for Harry, Ron, and Hermione and would constantly turn to one another debating among themselves the merit of each other's questions and the possible answers.

It was basically impossible for Harry or anyone else in his group to get a word in edgewise.

Thus, no one was paying any attention to the demons as they backed up a bit to stand unobtrusively behind Aberforth and the rest of their group.

Nor did anyone notice or hear the two's whispered conversation.

"Sebastian, we must not let anyone know what we are. At the first opportunity I want you to slip away and acquire two wands from the nearest enemy wizards. Don't let anyone see you do it."

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"Young Master, while it _is_ possible for a demon to use a wizards' wand, there is still… how should I put this? A learning curve involved in employing such a tool. It is not just a matter of learning the right spells. It is important to familiarize oneself with the magical energies inherent in the wands and finding a balance with –"

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"Shut up," Ciel interrupted.

"I'm perfectly aware that I don't know how to use a wand, and while I don't yet know whether or not you can, it doesn't matter. I'm certain that I can at least fake it and I know that you can as well. Swish, point, mutter inaudibly, and no one will know the difference."

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"Are you so certain of that, My Lord?" Sebastian questioned mockingly. "Wizards can be surprisingly cleaver at times and often notice things that others overlook. I suspect it is either an inherent quality they are born with or may have something to do with the way they are trained."

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"You worry over nothing. Whether it is wizard magic or demon power, people see what they expect to see," said Ciel.

"I suspect that this place will be a hot bed of activity soon. People who are hurrying, fighting, and generally creating chaos and confusion will not pause to pay much attention to anything beyond the obvious. They will see a person with a wand make magic happen and not question the nature of the power used."

His eye glinted mischievously.

"They will think us wizards like themselves."

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"Very well, My Lord."

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"One more thing, I don't want anyone to know the truth about my past or hear the made up story I told my three new pawns. Those three swore to keep my secrets so I know they will say nothing. Eventually though, one or both of us may be asked. I order you to hint that dark wizards, Death Eaters, killed off my family because we refused to follow that deranged Dark Idiot. You will make it clear that it was a miracle we survived."

Ciel grinned.

"If asked about your past, you must say that you had to have been hit with some kind of memory spell that erased all personal information that related to yourself or your past, but not any facts or other non-personal knowledge that you possessed."

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Sebastian tilted his head, raised a hand to his chin, and smiled playfully. Despite the light cheerful tone of his reply, the look in his eyes was cold and empty.

"My goodness, Young Master. Even after all this time you still like to contradict yourself. For someone who has long claimed to hate lies in others you certainly seem to enjoy telling your own. Wherever did you gain such a double standard?"

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Ciel's answering smile was just as cheerful as Sebastian's and his visible eye just as dark and empty.

"What a thing to say. This is not a game of chess, but real life and I play to win. Therefore, I'm perfectly free to play as I like and make up whatever rules I please."

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The two of them shared a look.

Pleasant smiles and empty eyes.

Two cruel beings of similar mind sharing a moment of perfect understanding in which nothing was spoken, but everything said.

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"And what would you have me say if I am asked about you Master?"

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"Say that I was young and small. I hid and was not found. Say that when the Death Eaters were gone I explored the rubble my home had become and found you. I rescued you and you, in turn, have cared for me. We became each other's family."

Ciel smirked. "Isn't it all so very heart-warming?"

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"And the other details? It would not do to leave anything unexplained," said Sebastian.

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"We gained our power though our brilliance of mind and years of considerable effort. We went into hiding and devoted ourselves to study and training. I, to become strong so that I could take revenge and protect those that matter to me. You, to become the perfect butler devoted to your young master who gives your life purpose and to his protection. Nothing could please you more than to stand forever at my side."

Ciel stared into his demonic butler's eyes, his face like a calm mask.

"Do you understand?"

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Sebastian returned the look, his own face falling into the pleasant expression of his own false mask. He placed his hand over his heart and inclined his head and waist in a small bow.

"Yes, My Lord. And may I add that your lies rather annoyingly resemble the truth?"

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"As you know, the best lies always contain elements of truth. It makes them all the more believable."

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**(**_**General**__**P.O.V.**_**) **

Ciel stood back with his butler and watched as his three pawns were surrounded by eager babbling schoolmates.

Something had been bothering him for a while and now seemed as good a time as any to ask about it.

Since Aberforth was the nearest person who wasn't pointlessly chattering, the little Earl decided to address his query to him.

"Say, Aberforth," questioned Ciel, "I find it difficult to believe that a room like this, holding all these renegade students, could be allowed to exist inside Hogwarts without the people in charge doing something about it."

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"This is the Room of Requirement," said Aberforth. "It's the only room of its kind in Hogwarts. Not sure how it was made, and it tends to move around at times, and can be tricky to get into, but it can become whatever the person that first enters it needs."

He gestured at one of the nearby teens.

"Young Neville over there was being chased by the Carrows, they're You-Know-Who's people here, anyway he needed a hideout where they couldn't get him or send in anyone that worked for them and managed to get in here. The room suits the needs of the ones inside it, but you got to know what to ask for. In any case it was fully supplied with everything the boy needed except food. The room can't do food. But since he needed it and asked the room for some, the room created the passage we just came through."

Ciel glanced around the room a second time, this time considerably more impressed with what he was seeing. _Remarkable…_ Ciel thought, _I wonder if there are ways to modify or update the spell, maybe even apply it to other things. It's certainly something to think about_.

Sebastian was likewise impressed. He was careful that no hint of his thoughts showed in his expression as he contemplated having his own hidden paradise of cats, one that Ciel need never know about or enter.

"What a remarkably convenient room. I shall have to make a point of finding out how it was constructed."

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"Indeed," the young demon commented, glancing at his butler. "In fact I order you to do so some time after this current mission is completed. I can imagine a lot of advantages in owning a room like this."

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"Yes, My lord." Sebastian said.

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Aberforth continued talking, oblivious to his listeners thoughts.

"Good luck with that. This is an old castle and a lot of spells 'ave been worked into and around the place. There's no knowing if any record of that spell still exists. In any case, it's been pretty useful now. It's lucky that the size of the room increased along with the number of people in it. Would 'ave gotten mighty cramped in here otherwise."

Aberforth glanced around at all the students and looked contemplatively at Harry for a moment, before turning to face Sebastian.

"You watch over those kids as best you can. I did my part and got you lot here, the rest is up to you. I got to head back to my inn. There's some things I want to think about."

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"Of course," answered Sebastian, smiling politely. "I thank you for your assistance, and you can rest assured that I am prepared to take matters well in hand and do whatever is needed."

Aberforth acknowledged his words with a decisive nod and went back through the secret passage, disappearing from sight.

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Eventually everyone started to settle down a bit and one boy, the students' apparent spokesman, came forward.

This boy, a teen about the same age as Harry, Ronald, and Hermione, was introduced to Ciel and Sebastian as Neville Longbottom.

Ciel felt a brief flash of pity for the boy. _How unfortunate he is to be stuck with such a name_.

Sebastian, being a skilled butler, was easily able to prevent himself from openly chuckling at the boy's name.

Neville's hair was a dirty-blond in color and rather darkish. He had the looks of a boy built to be overweight but who had not eaten enough, thus looking a bit saggy. Lack of sunlight had also made his clear skin pale in a manner that was sickly rather than fair. This combined with various bruises and a few vicious cuts (that looked in no way accidental) gave the overall impression of a weak pathetic boy who had been mistreated for some time.

Indeed, it would be easy to write Neville Longbottom off as a nobody born to be bullied, unless you happened to look into his dark eyes and see the steel determination glinting there.

Neville wasted no time in telling Harry and his friends what had been going on since they had last communicated.

"Hogwarts isn't really Hogwarts anymore, Harry. Not with those sadistic Death Eaters in charge. Defense Against the Dark Arts is now just learning the Dark Arts. We're supposed to practice curses on the people that get detention and in Muggle Studies, which is now compulsory for everyone, we have to listen to endless lectures about how Muggles are like animals, stupid and dirty, and how they drove wizards into hiding by being vicious toward them, and how the natural order is being re-established."

Neville pointed to his various injuries and explained how he got each one because of disagreeing with the teachers and talking back.

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"Blimey, Neville," said Ron, "there's a time and a place for getting a smart mouth."

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"You weren't here. You didn't hear the thing's that's being taught," said Neville. "You wouldn't have stood for it either. The thing is, it helps when people stand up to them and say what's right, it gives everyone hope."

He glanced over at Harry.

"I used to notice that when you did it, Harry."

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"But they've used you as a knife sharpener," continued Ron.

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Neville shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. They don't want to spill too much pure blood. You know how they all are about lineage and coming from pure wizard families with no Muggle blood in the mix. They'll torture us a bit if we're mouthy but they won't actually kill us."

Harry did not know what was worse, the things that Neville was telling them or the matter-of-fact tone in which he said them. To have gotten used to this sort of treatment… just how bad had things at Hogwarts gotten since he'd last been there?

Ciel was thinking much the same thing as Harry.

He may be a demon now, but he still remembered what it was like to be a helpless innocent in the hands of those who enjoyed his pain. Consequently, even though he was now a demon and thus, by his very nature, inclined to take pleasure in the sufferings of others, he still preferred it when the ones in pain were those that deserved it.

He could understand if it was just teachers making an example of a troublesome student, but what he was hearing made it clear that punishments in this school were being taken too far.

"Just what kind of school is this? Are all the teachers here like that?"

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Neville looked over at Ciel.

"No, it's just the Death Eaters. Amycus Carrow and his sister Alecto. They're even worse than that traitor Snape. Amycus teaches Dark Arts and Alecto does Muggle Studies. The thing is, they do more than teach," Neville said.

"They're in charge of all the discipline. They like punishment, the Carrows. The other teachers are all supposed to refer us to the Carrows if we do anything wrong. They don't, though, if they can avoid it. You can tell they all hate them as much as we do. The only people in real danger are the ones whose friends and relatives on the outside are giving trouble. They get taken hostage."

.

Ciel smirked, "Well than Neville, since these Carrows seem like such a disagreeable sort, perhaps we should make a point of getting rid of them while we're here."

The little earl turned to Harry and though his comments were directed to the green-eyed boy, his tone was such that his words carried to the ears of everyone there.

"Besides, the Carrows presence here will be a hindrance to your plan and they could be quite the bother for us when the Dark Idiot arrives. The fewer allies he has, the easier it will be to put an end to him once and for all."

As the room seemed to explode with the questions being shouted at Harry, Ciel quickly leaned in close to the boy and murmured some advice for his ears alone.

"They look to you as their leader, their symbol of hope. Look confident, show no doubt, and gather the support and information that you need. Harry, you cannot do this alone and they _want_ to help," Ciel said before stepping back to let Harry face the crowed of shouting students.

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**(**_**Harry's P**_**.**_**O**_**.**_**V. [**__**Mostly**__**]**_**)**

Harry gave Ciel a quick panicked look and mentally cursed the blue-haired boy for placing him in this situation.

Harry hadn't wanted to tell anyone else about the mission that Dumbledore had given him before his death. The old wizard had impressed upon him the importance of secrecy. The only reason that he'd told Ciel and Sebastian about it was because they'd pretty much forced him to.

Even if the strange pair had been rather nice about it.

Now everyone here knew that he had a plan to beat Voldemort and that Voldemort was coming.

Before, he might have had a chance to keep everyone out of danger and get them to stay here where they'd be safe. Now, everyone would want to help and there would be nothing he could possibly say to dissuade them.

He knew what he had to do, but had no idea how to go about doing it.

He closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths to calm down and think.

Ciel was right. Even though he didn't feel ready to lead anyone, they were all looking to him. He couldn't let them down.

There was no choice but to move forward and make the most out of the situation.

The Horcrux that was hidden at Hogwarts had to be something important that once belonged to one of the school's founders, Rowena Ravenclaw. He didn't know anything about her, but one of the other students might know something.

Harry opened his eyes, took another deep breath, and started to speak.

"Quiet down everyone. Please listen to me!" He shouted.

He had to shout a few more times before the room grew quiet enough for him to be heard.

"Listen everyone! You-Know-Who is coming -"

The room once more exploded with shouts and chatter, but Harry kept on shouting.

"Listen to me!" The room quieted as they once more gave Harry their attention.

"He's coming because he knows that I've discovered his weakness and a way to stop him once and for all. He's scared and angry and right now he's never been more dangerous. That's why I want you all to stay here where it's safe while we, "Harry waved a hand to indicate himself and his 4 companions, "take care of this."

This time the shouts that filled the room were ones of protest. No one wanted to sit this out. They'd been living in fear, sitting around, and not doing anything constructive against the ones responsible for their oppression.

Now that Harry Potter, the boy they believed to be their hope and savior, had come they were not going to sit and do nothing, not any more. They'd had enough of that.

Harry's return to Hogwarts was a sign to them all that that it was at last time to fight and they shouted their determination to do so.

Harry raised his hands, indicating that he still had more to say, and eventually the crowed quieted down.

"I know you all want to help and while I'd prefer you all stay here 'til it's over, I can see that there's no point in my trying to get you to. And there are a few things I'll need help with. "

Everyone murmured their willingness to help and leaned a bit forward to listen intently to what their hero had to say.

"Firstly, we need a way to look around Hogwarts without getting caught by Snape, the Carrows, or anyone else on You-Know-Who's side. Second, there's something we need to find. You-Know-Who put a spell on it and hid it here, somewhere, in Hogwarts. You see…"

Harry hesitated a moment, still unsure about what to say or how much he should say. But he pressed on.

"You see, the thing is that we don't know very much about it or where he hid it. Just that it probably once belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw and that if we can find and break it, it will help us overthrow You-Know-Who. Has anyone heard of an object like that? Has anyone ever come across something with her eagle symbol on it for instance?"

He looked hopefully toward the various Ravenclaw students he saw in the crowd, but the answer did not come from any of them.

Instead, he was answered by a familiar feminine voice behind him.

"Well, there's her lost diadem."

It was Luna Lovegood. The pale, rather wispy girl he'd last seen at the safe-house before leaving to break into Gringotts bank. But why was the blue-eyed blond teen here? How did she know to come?

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Behind her he could see several other people emerging from the tunnel entryway.

"Hello there! We just got the word that you three were here!" Said a grinning Dean Thomas.

His best friend Seamus gave a roar of delight and ran over to give the new arrival a crushing hug and some pleased slaps on the back.

"Out'a the way you lot. Yer blocking the passage," said Aberforth as he pushed Dean and Seamas out of the way and exited the passage.

He was followed by Ron's red-headed and freckle-faced little sister Ginny and Ron's older brother's, the mischievous red-headed twins Fred and George. Behind them came two brunettes, Lee Jordan and Harry's old girlfriend Cho Chang.

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"It's great to see you guys," said Harry, "but why are you here? Aberforth, I thought you didn't want to involve yourself more in this then you already had."

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Neville pushed his way through to the open space near Harry.

"I sent for them," he said, holding up a fake Galleon coin. "Remember this? We enchanted a lot of them last year to communicate secretly among our DA group when you were helping us train. They worked really well and never got found out, so we all kept them. They've been very useful for passing messages."

Neville didn't even try to keep the excited grin off his face.

"Anyway, I'd promised Ginny and Luna that if you turned up I'd let them know. We all thought that if you came back, it would mean revolution. That we were going to overthrow Snape and the Carrows. The words going out Harry. Soon everyone will be coming here."

.

Then Aberforth stepped forward.

"I don't like this Harry, not any of it. Seems to me this fools task of yours is just going to end in certain death. But I got to thinking about what we'd all talked about before and it got me thinking. I realized that you lot were right. Better to try than to give up without any kind of fight. I've lived a long life, even out-lived my whole family. I already got enough regrets in my heart and I don't want to carry anymore."

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"This is all very encouraging news," said Ciel authoritatively, wanting to cut through any further side topics or chatter, "But miss…?"

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"Luna Lovegood," said Luna. "Nice to meet you."

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"A pleasure to meet you as well. I am Ciel Phantomhive," Ciel replied. "But miss Lovegood, what was that you were saying about a diadem?"

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Luna smiled.

"You don't have to be so formal, call me Luna," she said.

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"Hay," said Ron, "What's a diadem?"

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"It's similar to a crown or tiara," said Luna. "Ravenclaw's was supposed to have magical properties, enhance the wisdom of the wearer. I told you about it once, remember Harry? Daddy's been trying to duplicate it."

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"This is all good to know," said Ciel, "But where should we start looking for it? Do we even know for sure that this is what we are looking for?"

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"I don't know," said Harry, "but right now we don't have any other ideas so we might as well go look for the diadem and hope it's what we came to find."

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"But that's crazy!" Shouted one of the Ravenclaw girls in the crowd, "You're all crazy. Even if it's not just a myth, there's no way you can find it."

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"Yeah," said Michael Corner. "It's called the _lost_ diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw for a _reason_. It's because it's lost."

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"When was it lost?" asked Harry.

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"Centuries ago, they say," said Cho, making Harry's heart sink. "Professor Flitwick says the diadem vanished with Ravenclaw herself. People have looked, but…" she glanced around at her fellow Ravenclaws, a wordless appeal in her eyes, "nobody's ever found a trace of it, have they?"

The Ravenclaw students all shook their heads.

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"Harry," said Terry Boot, "The diadem's gone, it's been gone for centuries. There's no one alive that knows anything about what happened to it."

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"That doesn't matter," said Harry. "We still have to look for it."

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"Then let's try looking in the Ravenclaw's dorm for clues," said Hermione. "It's a long shot, but at least it's a place to start."

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"If you want to know what the diadem's supposed to look like," commented Cho, "I could take you up to our common room and show you. Ravenclaw's wearing it in her statue."

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Suddenly Harry staggered and fell to his knees in pain as he was scorched once again by his scar, his mind bombarded by Voldemort's thoughts and feelings.

The watching demons recognized this as the same sort of inexplicable seizure that had struck Harry earlier that day at the mansion and left him with knowledge of the Dark Idiots weaknesses and movements.

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"He's on the move." Harry said quietly. "He's going to check on the hidden lake where the locket Horcrux used to be."

He glanced worriedly around at his friends.

"We're running out of time."

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_(¬_¬)_

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MARRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

... … ...

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…../…..\

…/…,-,-~-,-~',  
…../….,-" ( . . o)_º)

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…..…./ . . . . . . |–„„„„„„–,~""¯ . . .

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* * *

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**I've been watching the anime NYARKO-SAN: ANOTHER CRAWLING CHAOS.**

**It's pretty good. In its own way it's just as good as IS THIS A ZOMBIE (KORE WA ZOMBIE DESU KA?).**

**Well _anyway_...moving on.**

**I'm going to get started on the 12th chapter now. I've got a nasty feeling that it will turn out to be a short chapter. I'll try to give it some length, but no promises. I want to get it done fast so I can move on to the ghost. I'm planning for that to happen in the 13 chapter, but again, no promises. Just know that I'm not giving up and have every intention of seeing this story through to the end.**

**But you know how it is, stuff happens, real life intrudes, and I get easily distracted.**

**So anyway, I hope this chapter didn't turn out too bad. It gave me alot of trouble and I ended up over thinking things and getting stuck.**

**Please review to let me know if you liked it. **

**It's because of you, my readers & reviewers, that I was able to press on with this. Your encouragement helped a lot. **

=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=†=

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4/19/2013

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